It had been a few days since the Mega Muriel incident and surprisingly, things had been relatively relaxed since then. There had been no supernatural threats as of late, something that the cowardly trio could be grateful for. It was an nice afternoon at the farmhouse and Muriel had just come back from a doctor's appointment, Shaggy, Scooby and Courage were on the couch watching Blue Falcon. Shaggy and Scooby had introduced to Courage of a superhero they really like, and it immediately got the cowardly pink beagle hooked.

The three friends were all collected around the couch and all of them invested in the adventures of the Blue Falcon and his dog sidekick Dynomutt. Courage was lying on the couch, while Shaggy and Scooby snack on the bowl of popcorn.

"So Mr. Hyde is the Blue Falcon's enemy?" Courage asked, as they watched the episode of Blue Falcon on TV.

"Reah, he created an experiment for himself and became Mr, Hyde," Scooby explained.

"And he like, first battles Blue Falcon, in London," Shaggy added.

Why does that sound familiar? Courage thought, then he shrugged, figured it didn't matter, as he continued to watch the plot on TV.

Then there was a knock on the door.

"I wonder who could that be?" Muriel asked as she was out of the kitchen and headed to the door.

Shaggy, Scooby and Courage got up from the couch and followed Muriel to the door.

"Yes?" Muriel asked as she opened the door to reveal a tall man in a blue business suit holding an open file.

This sight of the open file the man has made Shaggy, Scooby and Courage's hearts pond.

"Muriel Bagge? Blood type ABXYZ?" the man asked as he read the file which was apparently her medical file.

Rhy does he need to know that? For a moment Scooby was silent, not sure how to reply, or what this strange man wanted. Rhy do you want to know?

"Yes, can I help you?" Muriel asked unaware of the red flags already going up.

"Growth Industries would like you to participate in our, uh, research for science and things like that," the man said as he closed the file.

But Shaggy and Scooby furrowed their brows with suspicion were not buying and Courage isn't as well as he growled at the man.

There's something off about that man, or my name is Jayfeather, and it's not. Courage thought.

"Like, what kind of research?" Shaggy asked, suspiciously. What does this government dude want?

"Research for science," the guy answered after hesitating for a moment. "The Growth Industries is prepared to offer you this much money," he then pulled out from his jacket a huge stack of money.

Eustace came up to the family smiling at the money. "We'll take it," he reached for the money but Muriel smacked his hand before he could grab it.

"Now, Eustace don't be greedy," Muriel told him before turning back to the man. "I'm sorry, but I got sewing to do."

"Mmm-Hmm, Muriel isn't interested," Courage replied before growling at the man.

"Reah, so buzz off," Scooby warned, with a growl.

"How about this much?" the man said as he reached in and pulled out an even larger stack of money.

"Aah!" Eustace exclaimed with surprise before reaching for it but got smacked again by Muriel.

"Like, my aunt said no dude," Shaggy objected.

"Let her answer young man," the man calmly said.

"I'm sorry, but my answer is no," Muriel told him.

"Have it your way, we'll be in touch," the guy said before turning around and leaving.

"Bah. So long money," Eustace whined as he went back to his chair and pulled out his paper angrily.

"Shaggy!" Muriel asked as she sat in her chair with Courage in her lap.

"Yeah?" Shaggy asked turning to his aunt.

"Be a dear and bring up my sewing equipment from the cellar," Muriel asked.

"Like, you got it Aunt Muriel," Shaggy said, as he made his way to the basement.

An hour later, the phone was ringing.

"Hello," Muriel said, as she got up from her chair and answered the phone.

Shaggy, Scooby and Courage got up from their chair and couch, and went up to Muriel, feeling flares of panic.

"Well, okay, if you insist," Muriel said, before placing the phone down and turning to her family.

"Like, who was it Aunt Muriel?" Shaggy asked, he was afraid what that phone call was about.

"The hospital wants me to stay there a few days there so they can make sure my spleen is hooked up right," Muriel told her family.

"Your spleen is hooked up fine. Now, what about me food?" Eustace demanded.

But before Shaggy, Scooby or Courage could answer, two large men burst through the door and grabbed Muriel's arms. Much to the cowardly trio's horror.

"Still, it pays to be on the safe side, I wouldn't want my spleen to get tangled or whatever it is spleens do," Muriel said as the men began to drag her away.

"Aunt Muriel!" Shaggy yelped.

"Owoooo!" Courage howled when the trio saw the men put Muriel in a strange vehicle that was not at all an ambulance and take her away.

"RI don't think that was an ambulance," Scooby trembled.

"Stupid dogs! Stupid nephew! It's probably all your fault that her spleen is twisted. And now I got nothing to eat," Eustace complained as he left the room.

Scooby felt annoyance burst into him. Row is this our fault? He thought.

"Like, we're do you think they're taking her?" Shaggy cried.

"RI don't know Raggy," Scooby replied, swallowing hard.

"Maybe Dr. Vindaloo knows?" Courage suggested.

"Like, worth a shot. Come on, guys," Shaggy said as he, and his friends entered the kitchen.

Courage picked up the phone and begin to explain to Dr, Vindaloo. "Help! Help! It's about Muriel!"

"Muriel Bagge?" Dr. Vindaloo asked, in the other line.

Shaggy picked up the phone and begin asking the doctor some questions, "Like, what do you know about the growth industries?" he asked with a bit of alarm in his tone.

"No I cannot tell you anything about her, it would be unethical to reveal my patient's personal information. So please don't call me again, unless there is big bucks involved. Did I say that out loud? I was confused by my submarine," Dr Vindaloo replied, before giving out a chuckle.

Shaggy sighed, before hanging up on the phone and rolled his eyes. "Well, some help that dude was."

"Muriel's in trouble," Courage said, in alarm, the he shuddered imagining Muriel being in a pool surrounded by sharks, before giving out a shriek. "What do we do!? What do we do?!"

"Raybe, he has something in his office, that could be helpful," Scooby suggested, trying to keep his friend calm.

Courage relaxed his muscles, Scooby was right. All that matters now is trying to find some clues and get Muriel back. "Okay, let's go," he said, as he grabbed the keys to Eustace's truck.

Heading outside, Shaggy, Scooby and Courage got into the truck and headed down town to Dr. Vindaloo's office.

Getting to the building, Shaggy, Scooby and Courage exited the truck and went inside the building.

"Like, let's go in quietly," Shaggy instructed, to his friends.

The two dogs nodded and the three walked through the hallways, where they eventually found the office. Silently opening the door, the cowardly trio looked inside and saw the place packed with money. Shaggy, Scooby and Courage saw a very hairy Dr. Vindaloo in a hot tub playing with his toy submarine.

"Like wow, that doctor dude had got a lot of cash today," Shaggy commented in a hushed tone, looking at all the money the clueless doctor have.

"Reah," Scooby murmured.

"Come on guys, focus! Let's just get the file and get out of here!" Courage was quick to remind both Shaggy and Scooby of the dire matter at hand.

Shaggy and Scooby nodded, as the three entered his office quietly. Looking around, Courage decided to check the filing cabinet near them, opening the bottom drawer, the cowardly beagle looked through the files to find Muriel's. After a bit of searching, he eventually found hers, taking it out, Courage opened to see if there was anything he or his friends could use.

Courage let out a scream at what he saw but Shaggy quickly covered his mouth so he wouldn't alert the doctor. Shaggy, Scooby and Courage felt their stomachs dropped as they nervously turned to him, they held their breath. They saw him so preoccupied with his toy submarine that he did not hear Courage screaming.

"I love my submarine, it's so pretty," the doctor said as he examined his toy.

Shaggy and Scooby both let their breaths go, as Shaggy grabbed Courage, while the cowardly pink beagle has the file and the trio quietly exited the room and closed the door behind them.

"Like, little pink dude you almost got us caught!" Shaggy yelled as he closed the door.

Courage blinked, "Sorry, but I found something really bad. We'll discuss it more back at the farmhouse."

Shaggy and Scooby looked at each other and pondered what was Courage talking about? They shrugged, but nodded at the pink beagle and the trio headed back to the truck. Getting in, Shaggy, Scooby and Courage headed back to the farmhouse.

"Huh? Property of Growth Industry?'" Eustace asked when Courage gave him the folder.

On the way back, Courage informed Shaggy and Scooby on what he found and once the three friends got to the house, suffice to say, they're horrified. Shaggy, Scooby and immediately ran to Eustace and gave him the folder.

"What we do? What we do?" Courage whimpered, as he repeated his sentence over and over again.

"Why that double-crossing Growth Industries! They took Muriel after she said no!" Well, I'm not putting up with this!" Eustace angrily said.

"Us neither!" Courage agreed.

"If they got Muriel, they're going to pay," Eustace began.

"Like, for once we're all on the same page angry old uncle," Shaggy agreed with his uncle.

"In cash, lots of cash," Eustace finished.

Shaggy, Scooby and Courage give the old farmer some unbelievable looks, before sighing in annoyance.

"Rould of seen that coming," Scooby mumbled.

After a quick trip, the family came to a halt in front of a building and saw that it said Growth Industry which meant that this is probably where they brought Muriel. Getting out of the truck, the family made out to the front of the building. However, before either of them could knock, the doors slid open and standing there was MA BAGGE.

Eustace, Shaggy, Scooby and Courage screamed when they saw her.

"Oh no, like not her," Shaggy groaned in dismay, as he looked at his great, great aunt. He and his uncle visit her last month, although she treated him well, he felt uncomfortable when she treated him like a son and treated Eustace like a pest.

"Oh, hello Shaggy," Ma Bagge greeted, before turning to her son and huffed. "Hi, stupid boy."

Eustace growled at her.

"I got a new job running this place, didn't I tell ya? I'm the big wig," Ma answered.

"You never told me that, you never told me anything. You got Muriel in there?" Eustace answered before asking.

"Muriel who?" Ma asked feigning ignorance.

Shaggy looked at her, "Like, my aunt!"

"Never heard of her. Goodbye," Ma answered and tried to leave with the doors closing behind her but Eustace managed to force them open completely again,

"I think you got Muriel in there! And if you do, I want me money!"

"Well, if don't believe me, I'll show ya. Come on, stupid boy," Ma said as she grabbed Eustace ear and dragged him inside.

How could this lady treated his son like that? Courage asked himself, "She really is his mother?" he questioned, seeing as how Ma is just as rude to everyone like Eustace is.

"Like mother, like son," Shaggy replied with a sigh.

"Romehow, I'm not surprise," Scooby commented in a deadpan voice.

Quickly catching up, the family were guided to a long hallway with lots of doors with viewing windows next to them, looking inside, they saw two people with extremely long hair sitting at a table and eating hair.

"This is the hair for hunger institute, where we turn hair into food to feed hungry people," Ma explained.

Shaggy and Scooby cringed and shudder, which was unusual for them, considering they'll eat anything that was bizarre.

"Like, okay, even I can't not eat that kind of food," Shaggy commented, in disgust.

"Re neither. Ruck!" Scooby added, as he stuck his tongue out in displeasure.

Leaving that one, the family moved down to the next room.

"Team hair. Where we're developing all sorts of hair sports," Ma explained.

"Ouch, that must hurt," Courage voiced out, cringing at the sight of three people swinging back and forth as they hang from the ceiling by their hairs.

Leaving that room, the family went to the next one.

"Hair for housing. Where people grow their own home," Ma explained as the family looked inside and saw a lady inside a house that was made from her own hair.

"Huh, like, while I think my hair would make a great home if that was the case, I don't I want my hair THAT long," Shaggy observed, eyeing the hair of the lady.

Shaggy, Scooby, Courage and Eustace grunted as Ma shoved them out the front doors.

"Okay? Satisfied?" Ma asked, with irritation in her voice.

"Oh, sure Ma, I believe ya. Maybe Muriel already gone home, see ya," Eustace answered.

Scooby clenched his teeth, did Eustace really believe that his wife is at home, when she was taken out of her home hours ago?

"Stupid boy," Ma insulted him.

"Stupid dogs and Shaggy haired-fella," Eustace repeated turning to the cowardly trio.

Courage cocked his head, "Huh?"

"Here, have these collector's items wigs courtesy of Growth Industry. Now get out of here," Ma said giving each of the family some orange wigs before the doors closed.

"Hey! Not bad," Eustace admired, as he placed the wig over his head and hat. He then laughed before heading to the truck.

Shaggy groaned, as he and his friends threw the wigs away. "Like, if you want something done, you got to do it for yourself."

"You realize what this means guys," Courage asked, his tone and expression both deadly serious, "We're going have to break in..."

The pink beagle opened the mail box cover and squeezing himself through, a moment later, he opened the door for his friends.

"Ranks Rourage," Scooby said, as he and Shaggy entered the building with the door closing behind them.

"We're in," Courage said, still just as serious, even though 'breaking' into the building had been as easy as just walking through the door.

Hearing some snoring, the cowardly trio looked up and saw a sleeping guard at his station. Scooby's ears twitched nervously as he saw the guard across from him and his friends. Shaggy, Scooby and Courage stepped across the hallway walking away from him, their breaths shallow with fear.

The trio walked down the same hallway from earlier. The three were trembling, by the time they headed down the hall, the three looked for the door that Ma grew nervous when they walked what was behind it.

Grabbing the knob, Shaggy opened the door and entered the room, and what they saw made their hearts jumped.

There were at least one hundred people being suspended in the air.

Courage looked up and saw something that alarmed him. "Over there, look," he pointed at the ceiling.

Looking to where he was pointing, Shaggy and Scooby saw an old man being moved across the room. He stopped suddenly and two mechanical hands came down and started massaging him roughly, he then started moving again and went through a shower of something they did not know that kind of either looked like rocks or seeds. He then passed through a shower of water and then slowed down a bit as bright light shone down on him which caused a whole bunch of hair to instantly grow all over his back.

Next, the hands came back as he was subjected to another shower followed by the hands adding shampoo and washing his hair, after a moment, he was then washed and dried. And finally, he was lifted higher into the air and joined the hundreds of other people in a similar condition.

"Zoinks," Shaggy yelped.

"Rikes," Scooby cried out.

Courage give out a terrified screech of alarm at what just happened.

"Boys? Are you there?" the trio suddenly heard Muriel ask them from somewhere.

"Aunt Muriel?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Shaggy cried out as he tried to find her amongst all the people.

"Boys! Over here!" Muriel shouted at them.

"MURIEL!" Courage gasped when he spotted her.

"RE'RE COMING!" Scooby barked as well as he, Shaggy and Courage started to run towards her.

Muriel suddenly screamed as the three friends were neared her, but as they did so, the three noticed that some people were being moved to another spot of the room where they had all their hair shaved and collected in cases below.

For a long heartbeat Shaggy froze, flooded by dreadful memories his crazy cousin Fred Bagge shaving all of him and his friends' hair. "Zoinks! It's cousin Fred all over again!" he yelled.

"Rup you go Rourage!" Scooby exclaimed, as the cowardly Great Dane grabbed him and tossed him up on top of Muriel.

Shaggy and Scooby then followed by jumping up and grabbing Muriel's legs and climbed up to the top.

"Oh boys, so good to see ya," Muriel said, with relief.

But at that moment, the door burst opened.

"Get that kid and those dogs!" Ma demanded as two guards came in and managed to climb onto the people with relative ease.

Shaggy, Scooby and Courage jerked as they trembled.

"RUN!" Scooby screamed at the top of his lungs.

Shaggy, Scooby and Courage crossed the very hairy and thick floor of hair to escape the guards.

"Like, duck!" Shaggy screeched as he, Scooby and Courage dodged the mechanical hands that tried to grab them.

Continuing to run, Shaggy, Scooby and Courage chanced a look and turned their heads and saw the guards chasing them go through the process the other people went through. And at the end, they even grew hair as well all over their body. But they quickly ripped it off and continued to chase the cowardly trio.

"Like, what do we do man?!" Shaggy shouted, clearly in a panic when he saw the guards getting closer.

"I got them," Courage exclaimed as he hop up and grabbed the hair blower from the robotics hands and turned it on and aimed it at the guards that were chasing them.

And while it blew them off their feet, they grabbed onto the hair and climbed their way to the frightened trio.

Courage grimaced and his body shook with fear, "Oh-no!"

Scooby looked up at the ceiling and caught the sight of the sprinklers that were on the ceiling. An idea came to him. "Rourage, aim for the sprinklers!"

Courage did, as he was told and aimed it at the sprinklers. A moment later, the sprinklers went off and a torrent of water came down upon everyone and caused a chain reaction and made all the hair below them grow by about ten times the size they were just at.

"YOU STUPID DOGS AND NEPHEW!" Ma shouted as she turned off the sprinkler system.

Looking back up, the trio saw the guards begin to chase them again, but seeing as they were a bit away from the people and more hair between them and the trio, Courage dive in into the hair which felt weird, the guards quickly followed him as well. But they were met with Courage's fists and were quickly defeated and tied up with the hair.

The trio got on a lawnmower, and drove through the hair.

"Make way, make way, like, lawnmower coming through!" Shaggy exclaimed.

"Boys? Are you there?" Muriel asked from somewhere nearby.

"Huh?" Courage gasped as he, Shaggy and Scooby hopped off.

Pulling out a large comb, Courage moved the hair aside from where Muriel's voice was coming from, a moment later, the trio saw her.

"Oh, my," Muriel said as the trio found her.

"YOU STUPID SNOOPING DOGS AND NEPHEW! GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Ma shouted as she ran towards them with a giant hairbrush.

Shaggy, Scooby and Courage let out screams of alarm before covering Muriel again with the hair as her screams of protest being muffled by the hair.

"Like, sorry Aunt Muriel, we'll be back later!" Shaggy apologized to his aunt.

With her safe for the moment, Shaggy, Scooby and Courage moved away from her to some open space.

"Now, come to Ma like good dogs and a good boy," Ma said as she motioned the trio with her finger to come to her while doing a poor job to hide the brush behind her back.

"No," Courage's heartbeat quicken, as he noticed the impatience in Ma's eyes. He, Shaggy and Scooby dived into the hair.

Coming back up, the trio saw that they were suddenly in another spot.

"Shaggy," Ma Bagge said sickly sweet, as she did what they did and appeared in a different spot.

Shaking their heads anxiously, the three did the same thing again and ended up in a different spot again.

"I only want to give you all a hug," Ma said trying her best to sound innocently.

"Ro, way," Scooby whimpered as he, Shaggy and Courage dived into the hair and repeated the process of ending up in different locations.

"I have twenty bucks for ya Shaggy," Ma tempted.

"Like, no thanks, I'm not into money," Shaggy replied with a nervous grin, as he, Scooby and Courage dove into the hair again. This time, when Shaggy and Scooby came up, they both ended up next to each other.

Scooby smiled nervously, "Ruh, hello."

"There you both are, wait, where's that stupid dog?" Ma asked.

As if summoned by her, Courage popped out of her hair a second later. "Get out of there! That's my hair!"

Courage screamed as he jumped of her but took her hair which was revealed to be a wig.

"My hair! My hair is gone! I'm ugly... ugly!" Ma said as she started to cry before running away.

Scooby and Courage looked at the wig in amazement, Shaggy on the other hand wasn't in shock since he knew she was bald when he visited her with his uncle a month ago.

"I didn't know that was a wig," Courage exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"Rell then again, her and Rustace are related," Scooby pointed it out, as he remembered her son was bald as well.

"Boys? Are you all still there?" Muriel asked as she raised her arm through all the hair.

"Muriel, we'll save you!" Courage yelled as he, Shaggy and Scooby raced over to her.

As they did so, Courage pulled out a giant electric razor and started to cut all the hair that was covering Muriel.

"Thanks boys, it was getting so fuzzy," Muriel said once the pink beagle removed all the hair covering her.

"Like, we'll get you outta here Aunt Muriel," Shaggy told her, as he took Muriel by his hand, he help his aunt up.

"Thanks, now how about we leave this place," Muriel suggested with a smile.

Nodding, the family headed over to the window and tried to get out that way since it was too thick the hair to get back down to the actual floor. But then, Courage sense that danger was right behind them.

Courage looked behind him and his eyes widened in fear, his heart skipping a beat, as he saw a guard dive for them, the pink beagle lifted his family up into the air and stopped by the window. Panicking, Courage had thrown Shaggy, Scooby and Muriel into the air before diving in as well.

The guard missed them and crashed through the window and made and exit for them, as Shaggy, Scooby and Muriel landed on the hair.

"Like, a little warning next time please little pink dude," Shaggy groaned, wheezing a little.

Courage give out a nervous chuckle, before nodding Getting back up, the family heard the sounds of fire trucks coming towards them followed by a siren.

"This is the fire department. Evacuate the building," a firefighter echoed using a megaphone.

Soon a ladder was placed against the building allowing them to get climb down. Courage grabbed Muriel as he headed down the ladder. Getting down, Shaggy, Scooby and Courage looked around and caught a glimpse of Ma with the guy from earlier in the day in a car that quickly drove away.

"Ah boys, you three are a cream rinse you are," Muriel said, as she hugged the cowardly trio.

"Wait what?/Rait what?" Shaggy, Scooby and Courage asked in unison, raising their eyebrows.

When the family got home, Courage plucked all the remaining hair that grew on Muriel's legs from that procedure.

"Thanks for everything dearies," Muriel said, as she sipped on her tea.

"Rou're welcome Ruriel," Scooby replied with a grin.

But after a few more hairs were plucked, the family heard the door slam open.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy yelped in amazement, when he saw his uncle covered head to toe in long dark brown hair.

"Rhat on earth?" Scooby asked, with a confused frown.

"Eustace! What happened to ya?" Muriel asked with shock.

"MONEY!" Eustace answered as he held up two large stacks of money in his hands and laughed.

What he won't do for money. Courage thought with a exasperated sigh.

Well that's all for this chapter. Next will be The Forbidden Hat of Gold. I like to thank Angry9guy for the quotes and ideas. Let me guys know in the reviews/comments of what should I do for the future episodes or next chapter. And what Courage should say in future chapters. Until then this is vakarns signing out.

The Forbidden Hat of Gold Summary: Eustace finds Horst's map leading to a hat made of gold. He reluctantly takes Muriel, Shaggy, Scooby and Courage along, and his greed eventually leads them all into danger.