The air in Muriel and Eustace's room was thick with concern and a hint of the familiar tension that usually hummed between the two. Muriel lay in bed, her face contorted in pain, her groans echoing through the room.

"Don't worry Muriel, you'll feel better soon," Courage chirped, trying to sound reassuring even though his own heart was sinking. He'd never seen Muriel in this much pain before.

Shaggy sat beside her, murmuring reassurances as he helped her swallow some pain medication, "Like, whatever you need will get it for you," he offered, his eyes full of worry.

"Thank you boys," Muriel grunted, with a smile.

"MURIEL!" Eustace demanded, as he entered the room wearing a bib and holding a plate. "Get yourself out of bed and feed me!"

Shaggy's jaw clenched. Really Uncle Eustace? "Dude, seriously? Your wife is in pain and all you're thinking about is food?"

"I'm sorry, Eustace. I can't move," Muriel explained before letting out another painful moan, "My back's killing me!"

Courage let out a pitiful whine, his heart breaking for his owner.

"Oh, that's too bad," Eustace said.

"You're sweet," Muriel said, through a pained smile.

Courage let out a frustrated sigh. "What?" he mumbled to Scooby, "He's being nice? What's the catch?"

Scooby, scratching his ear, responded in a muffled voice, "RI don't know, Rourage. Raybe he's actually starting to care about Ruriel for once."

"Nope. It's too bad 'cause I'm hungry," Eustace whined, "We gotta get you fixed up."

Courage groaned. "I should've seen that coming," he muttered, "But he's got a point. We need to get Muriel to a doctor."

Scooby, shaking his head, agreed. "Reah, he's a real piece of work, isn't he?"

Shaggy patted Muriel's hand and said, "Don't worry Aunt Muriel, we'll get you fixed."

In the sterile, clinical setting of Dr. Vindaloo's office, Muriel's back was the subject of a peculiar examination.

"Okay," Dr. Vindaloo said, walking to stand next to Muriel. "Oh, does it hurt when I do this?" He hit Muriel's back with a massive mallet. Making her groan in agony.

Dread and worry twisted the insides of the cowardly trio as they witnessed Muriel's agony.

"Does it hurt when I do this?" Dr. Vindaloo asked, as he wound up a toy duck and placed it on her back where it walked.

"OW! OW! OW!" Muriel groaned in pain.

Courage, standing nearby, inadvertently received a blow from the duck on his own head, resulting in a startled "Oof!" from the normally timid beagle.

"Does it hurt when I do this?" Dr. Vindaloo asked, as he placed a lamp on Muriel's back before clapping his hands. The lamp turned on and then turned off when Dr. Vindaloo clapped his hands again.

"Wow," Eustace said, impressed.

Muriel moaned, with agony, even from a simple lamp.

Shaggy, pushing back a surge of dread, finally spoke, "Like, is there anything you can do, Dr. Vindaloo?" He'd never seen Muriel in such pain before.

"Hmm. I am afraid I cannot do anything for this kind of pain," Dr. Vindaloo said, "Nothing at all."

Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage felt a wave of anxiety wash over them. How bad was Muriel's back?

"Doctor, you gotta do somethin'. I'm in awful pain," Muriel moaned.

"She's suffering!" Courage whimpered, panic rising in his voice.

"Rhat should we do?" Scooby asked, feeling helpless.

"And it's almost lunchtime!" Eustace complained.

"Farmer, now is not the time to think about lunch!" Courage snapped, his usually meek demeanor replaced with frustration.

Eustace rounded on him, with his face twisted in anger, "Stay out of this dog," he snarled.

"Oh, dear! I see you are all very upset," Dr. Vindaloo said.

"Of course we're upset! My aunt is in so much pain!" Shaggy wailed, his voice cracking with worry.

"Rour a doctor. Rhat should we do?" Scooby echoed, his usual playful demeanor replaced with concern.

Dr. Vindaloo reached into his pocket and pulling out a map, "Well, I have heard there exists at the top of Mount Nowhere, a hot spring with healing waters."

"Yay!" Courage cheered, his legs feeling wobbly with relief. He then pushed the gurney Muriel was on out of the room, with Shaggy and Scooby close behind.

"Like, maybe this hot spring will do the trick!" Shaggy told his dog, a glimmer of hope returning to his voice.

"Ret's go! Hopefully it's not too far!" Scooby shouted, following closely behind the others, eager to find a solution for the elderly woman.

The journey to the top of Mount Nowhere was proving to be a grueling one for Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage. They'd managed to secure a plane ride after leaving Dr. Vindaloo's office, but the final ascent was still a long, arduous climb. They'd found a carriage for Muriel to rest in, sparing her the painful walk, but Eustace, being Eustace, had jumped in and commandeered the trio as his personal pack animals.

"Hey, stupid dogs and stupid nephew! Are we there yet?" Eustace yelled, as he sat comfortably in the carriage.

Courage, straining under the weight of the carriage, grunted a curt, "Not. Yet."

Shaggy, trying to maintain some semblance of optimism, consulted Dr. Vindaloo's map. "According to this, we're only fifty steps from the hot spring," he announced.

One hour later…

The three were still pulling the wagon, with Shaggy still reading the map.

"I'm like, sure we're almost there," Shaggy reassured, his voice wavering a bit.

Two hours later…

Shaggy's reassurances grew weaker with each passing moment: "We're like almost there," he mumbled, his voice barely a whisper.

Three hours later…

Scooby kept track of their progress with a stack of time cards, but he was running out of those too: "Rare we almost there? RI'm all out of time cards," he whined, his voice laced with exhaustion.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Shaggy pointed to the summit, "Yep Scoob, we're there."

Courage gently lifted Muriel from the carriage as they approached the peak, but their relief was short-lived. A hulking ram, with horns like sharpened daggers, stood blocking their path, his eyes narrowed in a menacing glare.

"Roat!" Scooby yelped, fear making his voice squeak.

"Go back!" the ram bleated.

"You, goat! We're lookin' for a hot spring!" Eustace demanded.

"This place is sacred! Go back!" the goat warned.

Muriel let out a groan of pain, her condition worsening, and Courage, his heart twisting with concern, turned his gaze toward his owner. Fear and panic threatened to overwhelm him.

Shaggy, wincing at Muriel's agony, turned to his uncle and wailed, "Uncle Eustace, do something."

"No dumb, stinking mountain goat with stupid oversized antlers tells me what to do!" Eustace spat, infuriating the goat.

"You humans make me sick! Get lost!" the ram snarled, before charging at Eustace and hitting him with his horns.

Eustace screamed as the goat's horns connected, sending him flying through the air.

"Please, Mister Goat. Just let us get through to those healin' waters. I'm in such pain," Muriel begged, as Courage gently put her down, his own fear momentarily forgotten.

"You don't understand Goat Dude," Shaggy said urgently, "My aunt is in so much pain."

"Reah, pain!" Scooby echoed, his voice trembling.

"Let's us see the hot spring Mister Goat. Please!" Courage pleaded, his voice trembling with urgency.

"So, you want to see the hot spring?" the goat asked.

"Uh-huh! Uh-huh!" Courage nodded fervently, his eyes wide with desperate hope.

"More than anything man," Shaggy added, praying for this strange creature's understanding.

"I'll show you the hot spring!" the goat said, before scraping his hoof against the floor, and ram Muriel with her horns sending her into the air.

With a scrape of his hoof against the rocky ground, he charged toward Muriel, his horns aimed toward her frail body. Muriel screamed as the impact sent her flying far into the air, a tiny figure against the vast sky.

"Muriel!/Aunt Muriel!/Ruriel!" Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage cried out in unison, their hearts sinking with a chilling dread.

"Why did you do that to my aunt?" Shaggy growled, his voice filled with fury, his face contorted with anger.

"Ow!" the goat yelled in pain, before he echoed, "Your aunt wanted to see the hot spring so I knocked her into the Hot Spring. Don't worry you'll get to see the spring, too, boy and pooches,"

He then charged at the trio, sending them flying into an empty depression, pain radiating through their bodies.

"Like, that is one tough goat," Shaggy managed to grunt, his body protesting every movement.

"Rowie," Scooby whimpered, his stomach cramping from the impact.

Courage his voice laced with worry, uttered, "I hope Muriel is alright. Or my name is Billy Goat Gruff and it's not."

They heard Muriel's pained groans, and rushed to find her on the ground, writhing in agony.

Courage gently rubbed her back while asking, "Muriel, are you alright?"

"Feel better now?" the goat shouted, getting everyone's attention before Muriel could answer, "There's your hot spring."

Muriel gasped, as she let out another low moan, "But where's the water?"

"Oh. This place was once filled with water!" the goat said, before sliding a book into the depression. But after he did, he groaned in pain when his neck let out an unhealthy crack.

Shaggy, Scooby and Courage shifted uncomfortably, the goat's neck sounded like it was broken beyond repair.

"Oof!" Courage grunted, as the book hit his head.

"It was goat paradise. We called it Spa of Horns," the goat began, as the trio flipped through the pages. Each one showed a picture of goats receiving various spa treatments or having a fun time. "Once, goats came here from miles around to relax, get their beards and horns trimmed, and bathe in the rejuvenating waters."

The goat answered as the pictures in the book changed to show people dirtying up the waters with their trash and capturing or kicking the goats off the mountain. "But then a human explorer discovered us, and it wasn't long until others of your species arrived, using up all the precious healing water, and throwing my brothers and sisters off the mountain... Until only I was left. So, I started knocking trespassers away with my horns, which grew and grew."

Shaggy froze, a chilling realization hitting him. The explorer, the name resonated through his mind...Horst Bagge. Could it be that his great uncle was the one who ruined this paradise? "Wait a minute. Was the explorer's name Horst?"

The goat looked at the cowardly teen in surprise, "Why yes. Wait how do you know the name of that explorer?"

"He's my great uncle," Shaggy said, his voice barely a whisper.

"And my owner's older brother," Courage chimed in, his voice filled with apprehension.

"Rut he's dead now," Scooby added, looking at the goat with pity.

"Oh, Mr. Goat, I feel so sorry for you," Muriel said, as Shaggy helped her to her feet.

"Me too man," Shaggy responded, his voice heavy with guilt, "Just because my great uncle caused all of this doesn't mean that we're anything like him."

"Shaggy is right, We'd try to help you get rid of that neck ache if I wasn't in so much pain myself," Muriel agreed.

"You think you're in pain?" the goat sneered, before leaving. Before anyone could react, the goat vanished. A bolt of panic shot through Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage, as their ears pricked up in alarm.

I don't like where this is going. Courage thought, a dread forming in his stomach.

And his fears were justified. The goat returned, a massive boulder in his hooves, "I don't think you know what the word means," he snarled, before moving back a few steps.

Before Shaggy, Scooby, or Courage could react, the goat hurled the boulder, which landed squarely on Muriel's head, almost flattening her.

"Muriel!/Aunt Muriel!/Ruriel!" the trio screamed in unison, their hearts shattering with horror.

"Ow!" the goat yelled in agony, touching the back of his neck, "So now you will know the years of pain I have endured."

"Please, Mr. Goat. We'll leave right now," Muriel groaned, feeling pressure from the boulder.

Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage, their bodies aching with worry, desperately tried to move the boulder, but it was immovable.

"Rut Ruriel. Rhat about what Dr. Rindaloo said?" Scooby's words were barely audible, his eyes fixed on Muriel's pained expression.

"This is worse than my back pain, Scooby," Muriel gasped.

"Ow!" the trio heard the goat moaned, but the trio was too preoccupied with Muriel's plight to notice.

Then, another crack of rock resounded, and a giant, ominous shadow fell over them. Their hearts jumped into their throats as they looked up, only to see another monstrous boulder hurtling toward them.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy screamed, his voice trembling with fear.

"Ruh-oh!" Scooby echoed, his eyes wide with terror.

"Run!" Courage yelled.

Agony seared through their heads, a wave of pain so intense it seemed to penetrate their very souls. They wanted to sleep, to escape the torment, but the pain forced them awake.

"From now on, my pain will be your pain," the goat, declared before laughing and leaving.

Courage whimpered, "This hurts!"

"Like, ow, my neck!" Shaggy moaned, another wave of pain washing over him.

"Ry head feels like it's on fire!" Scooby murmured, as if a fiery hammer was smashing his brain.

The pain seemed to intensify, each heartbeat amplifying the agony.

"We're gonna be squashed like bugs!" Courage cried, his voice edged with terror.

"Oh, boys, what are we going to do?" Muriel's words ended in a groan.

Another surge of pain shot through them, the crushing weight of the boulder pressing down, squeezing the air from their lungs.

"Well, we gotta get rid of these boulders first." Courage, his voice filled with determination, ignored the crippling pain.

"Like, how are we gonna do that?" Shaggy managed to gasp.

"Leave that to me," Courage stammered, fighting to ignore the searing pain in his neck.

He stuck his tongue out, then began to pump his head up and down with a surprising amount of strength, as if using it as a makeshift jack. It seemed to be working, and Shaggy and Scooby, driven by desperation and pain, managed to crawl out from beneath the boulder. But Courage's strength faltered, and the boulder slammed back down, catching him beneath its weight. The impact caused him to bite down on his tongue, sending another wave of agony through his body.

"Ow! My tongue!" Courage cried, biting his tongue. "I think I just broke my neck!"

"Oh, soon we'll be as flat as pancakes," Muriel gasped, anxiously.

"We gotta get out of here!" Shaggy cried, his thoughts racing as he and Scooby tried to move the boulder with all their might.

Courage, in a desperate move, reached into his mouth, literally pulling his skeleton out of his body and pushing it out from under the boulder. The giant rock crashed to the ground, crushing what remained of Courage's skin. He quickly replaced his skin, looking as good as new.

"Rhew! Rot out of that one," Scooby breathed, looking relieved.

"Like, you're a real trooper, little dog dude!" Shaggy said, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"Boys?" Muriel grunted, as the boulder was this close to crushing her.

"Re gotta help Ruriel!" Scooby exclaimed, rushing back to Muriel's side.

The three best friends huddled together, pushing against the boulder with all their might.

Shaggy barked out orders, "On the count of three we lift. One. Two."

"Three!/Rhree!" they cried in unison.

With a Herculean effort, they managed to lever the boulder up enough for it to roll away from Muriel. But as they looked at the old woman, they saw she lay crushed and bunched up on the ground.

"Oh-no!" Courage screamed, his voice filled with terror.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy's voice cracked.

"Row what do we do?" Scooby wailed, his voice trembling.

Without waiting for an answer, Courage grabbed a rolling pin from behind and began to roll Muriel out, stretching her back to her original shape.

"There! You're good as new!" Courage declared, wiping his brow.

"Courage, I never knew you were this good at massage," Muriel spoke.

"I guess, I must of had it in me," Courage replied, a shy blush warming his fur as he felt the warmth of Muriel's gratitude.

"If you could only massage that goat, maybe he might..." Muriel began.

The trio looked up to see another boulder hurtling towards them.

"Rook out!" Scooby's terror filled his words as they scrambled to avoid the crushing weight.

"Zoinks, it's the goat!" Shaggy wailed, his voice trembling.

"Oh! You have been bad dogs and a bad boy!" the goat growled, "Disobedience must be punished with more boulders!" he declared, before launching another boulder at them. But this caused his neck even more pain.

Shaggy, Scooby, Courage and Muriel all screamed, their terror echoing through the mountains.

"Like, run for it!" Shaggy screeched, his voice dissolving into a panicked whimper.

They sprinted, dodging boulders that rained down around them. They were like terrified mice fleeing a giant, angry cat. Courage, with Muriel still in his arms, pushed through the chaos, his heart pounding like a drum. But with each passing moment, the goat seemed to gain strength, launching boulder after boulder, its rage fueled by the throbbing in its neck.

Luckily, the goat, in its frenzy, accidentally created a temporary safe haven for them - four boulders on either side, with three forming a roof overhead. Shaggy, Scooby and Courage, their hearts still racing, peeked over the makeshift shelter. With relief, they saw the goat was no longer on the ledge.

"Yay!" Courage cheered, his voice shaky with relief.

"We're safe!" Shaggy exclaimed, his voice slowly returning to a hesitant normalcy.

Scooby, however, turned his gaze and his blood turned to ice. "Ri don't think he's gone!" he whimpered, his eyes wide with terror as he pointed behind them.

And there he was...the GOAT, its face contorted with pain and rage, standing behind them.

"Bad dogs and bad boy!" the goat snarled.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy screamed, his voice a high-pitched shriek.

efore they could react, the goat rammed into them, sending them flying through the air like rag dolls. They landed with bone-jarring thuds on the hard mountain ground. Courage moaned, pain throbbing in his back.

"Ugh, my bones!" Shaggy moaned, wincing as he tried to sit up.

"Rhat really hurt, a lot!" Scooby whimpered, clutching his head.

Suddenly, Courage noticed the goat charging at them. Without a second thought, he shoved Shaggy and Scooby out of the way, but he wasn't so lucky. The goat, fueled by rage and pain, slammed into him, smashing him against the wall.

Shaggy and Scooby watched in horror, wincing with every impact. Through the haze of pain, they could see the goat was in even more agony than before, the pain in its neck finally reaching a crescendo, forcing it to the ground in a writhing mass.

Rhe pain in his neck is getting worse. Scooby thought grimly as he watched the goat writhe in pain.

Courage, battered and bruised, emerged from a hole in the mountain wall, wrapped in makeshift bandages and using a wheelchair to help him move, "After this I'm gonna need a soak in the hot spring," he croaked, his voice filled with pain.

Unfortunately, due to the agony, he was headed towards the edge of the cliff.

"Courage look out!/Rourage look out!" Shaggy and Scooby shouted, their voices filled with urgency.

"Huh?" Courage croaked, his head foggy with pain. He realized his mistake too late and tumbled over the ledge.

Thankfully, he caught himself by grabbing a bottle stuck in a crack in the wall. But the bottle soon gave way, and he fell, landing hard on the ground below. Shaggy and Scooby peered over the ledge, their faces etched with worry.

"Courage, are you okay!" Shaggy asked, his voice laced with fear.

"I think so," Courage replied, his voice strained.

Then, he let out a yelp of pain as the bottle landed on his head. Water started to gush from the crack in the wall, filling the depression where they had been standing just seconds before.

Shaggy and Scooby, their eyes wide with wonder, stared at each other.

"Like, this is awesome!" Shaggy exclaimed, jumping into the gushing water, "Zoinks! It's a hot spring!"

Scooby, never one to miss out on a good time, followed suit with a gleeful, "Reah! A hot spring!"

"Whee!" Muriel shouted.

The depression was now a sparkling pool of warm water.

"You sprung the spring, Courage!" Muriel said, happy with no trace of pain evident in her voice, "And my pain's completely gone!"

Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage turned their attention to the goat, who was still moaning in pain.

"I think Mr. Goat could use the full spa treatment. Don't you, boys?" Muriel pointed out.

"Mmm-hmm," Courage nodded, feeling a stab of sympathy for the injured goat.

"Reah," Scooby agreed, his tail wagging in anticipation.

"Totally," Shaggy added, eager to help the goat.

Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage emerged from the hot springs, Scooby and Courage both shaked themselves dry.

"What? What are you doing?" the goat asked, the trio lifted him and tossed him into the healing waters. And a moment later, he came back up with a smile on his face, "Oh! The water is back!"

Courage then pulled out a nail file and began meticulously filing the goat's horns, shortening them to their original size. Meanwhile, Shaggy and Scooby took to cleaning the hot spring, using pool rakes they found nearby to remove any remaining debris.

"You look like a million bucks! I mean, goats!" Muriel complimented.

"I feel great!" the goat said, laughing before tears came to his eyes, "My Pain is gone! I can't believe it! I've been protecting the Hot Spring for so long that it caused me so much pain. Thank you!"

"We're glad we could help, pal!" Shaggy said, giving the goat a thumbs-up.

"You should clean the spring every now and then, Mr. Goat," Courage advised, his ears twitching. "Just to make sure the water works."

"I'll keep that in mind," the goat responded, with a nod of acknowledgment.

Just then, the trio heard footsteps approaching from behind. Turning around, they were surprised to see the female mountain ape carrying Eustace towards them. Shaggy and Scooby couldn't help but stifle their laughter at the sight.

"Is this the legendary hot spring that cures broken hearts?" she asked, with Eustace groaning.

"Oh, boys. It looks like things are changing for the better," Muriel said, smiling.

Courage nodded, then with a flourish, whipped out his ears and wiggled them, transforming them into goat horns. He then let out a loud, enthusiastic "Baa!"

Scooby, unable to contain his laughter any longer, let out a joyful, "Scooby-Bah-Dooby-Doo!"

Well that's all for this chapter, next will be Muriel Blows Up. I like to thank schweenieboy 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.

Muriel Blows Up: A missile strikes the farm, mutating a carrot in the garden. When Muriel eats it, she begins to grow. Shaggy, Scooby and Courage must figure out a way to get to the general and disarm the device before time runs out.