Episode 19:
"Magical Misery Tour!"
GUEST STARS:
Danica McKellar as Madelyn Dinkley
James Patrick Stewart as Whirlen Merlin
Brian Posehn as Marlon Merlin
Crystal Scales as Crystal
Fred Tatasciore as Mystic Monster
John Michael Higgins as The Great Fondoo
Dee Bradley Baker as Magic Rabbit
Out in the forests of Wisconsin, there sat a majestic castle which was currently being used as a school of magic. It was known as the Merlin Brothers Academy of Prestidigitation, and this was to be the day they put the new students to the test. On this day, they would all be tested on their skills to decide if they could enter the school. They welcomed all, but those with greater skills could get into advanced classes to learn more complicated techniques.
"Welcome, new recruits!" exclaimed the headmaster, Whirlen Merlin. "This will be a test of not only your magical skills, but your fortitude as well!"
"We're going to ask you to show us your best tricks," his brother, Marlon Merlin, explained. "For each of you your skills can help us to determine what you'll need help in and what you excel at the most, like how Whirlen is best in looks and pizazz while I have the brains and the ability to set everything up. By bringing together our skills, we make something great!"
"Alright, sounds good!" said one newcomer, Byron.
"Let's make some magic!" exclaimed another, Roscoe.
"But first a demonstration on our two talents working together." Whirlen suggested.
"Right, then!" Marlon nodded as he cracked his knuckles. "Let's do this!"
Together, they stepped to the side and seemingly made doubles of themselves before they brought up a cage. The originals got inside the cage while the doubles locked it up before disappearing. Then a curtain fell onto the cage before a puff of smoke was seen and the brothers were replaced by a lion before they reappeared in another puff of smoke and took a bow.
At that, the students applauded in amazement.
"Now it's your turn to show us what you can do!" Whirlen said excitedly.
On that, the other students eagerly got started on trying to prepare their presentations. Suddenly, while they were prepping, they all heard a strange roar.
"...what could THAT be?" Marlon asked.
"I don't know..." Whirlen replied. "It's not one of our animals, that's for sure."
"Then I suggest..." stated Crystal. "...WE RUN!"
Suddenly a shadowy figure appeared behind a white stage sheet.
"Who's that?" asked Marlon.
As the sheet was picked up and thrown off, it exposed a minotaur-like demon with with a pair of wings on its back, who let out a malevolent roar of rage once more.
Of course, this sent the students screaming for their lives, scurrying for the nearest exits they could find. However, a few students wanted to stay and fight back as they tossed smoke bombs and slung cards at him while backing up into the castle.
The demon simply swatted them away as though they were mere flies. "You whelps cannot HOPE to defeat me!" he bellowed.
"We'll see about that!" A brave student replied as the doors were closed.
[Fade Out. This cold open was getting a bit too long, anyway!]
Scooby-Doo! Unmasked
in:
MAGICAL MISERY TOUR!
TITLE CARD: Scooby is wearing a top hat and holding a magic wand, while the spotlight shines upon him. The episode title is on the front of the stage, below Scooby.
The next morning, the Gang was driving through the woods on their way to the Merlin Brothers Academy of Prestidigitation. As they arrived, they saw a conga line of cars leaving the castle.
"Sheesh!" commented Shaggy. "Maybe they're all trying to beat the traffic?"
"I don't think so..." Fred replied as they got closer to the castle and saw a bunch of parents taking their kids away from the school.
"We better park and ask someone what's going on," said Velma.
"Right," Fred nodded in agreement and parked once he found a spot. After the parking was done, the gang got out of the RV and headed to the front entrance. There, they saw more students leaving while only a few were staying.
"Excuse me?" Fred asked. "What exactly is going on?"
"Yesterday, during evaluations, a demon appeared and started wreaking havoc," one of the students revealed.
"A demon?" mused Velma. "Maybe we should see if we can help figure things out."
"We wouldn't be much of mystery-solvers if we didn't!" Daphne agreed.
Fred turned back to the others. "You wouldn't happen to know where the people in charge are, would you?" he inquired.
"Over there, trying to convince the parents to let their children stay," another student pointed out.
Looking in the direction where the pointing was going, the gang headed over to the two headmasters, who unfortunately failed to convince another parent and lost another student.
"Hi, are you the ones in charge here?" Velma asked. "I'm Velma Dinkley."
"Whirlen Merlin and my brother Marlon, we're the joint headmasters here." Whirlen introduced.
"Nice to meet you," replied the gang before they introduced themselves.
"Who are all of you?" Marlon asked.
"Mystery Incorporated, at your service," said Fred. "We're freelance detectives, and we'd be glad to help out and see what's causing all this."
"Plus, I believe my sister is enrolled here." Velma added.
"Hmm...oh, yeah! Madelyn Dinkley!" Marlon responded.
"The family resemblance is quite noticeable." Whirlen mentioned.
"Would you happen to know where she is?" Velma asked.
"I'm over here!" Madelyn called out as she came into the room.
Everyone glanced over and saw a bespectacled young woman nearby, bearing a bright smile; she looked almost like Velma, except she wore bigger, frameless, purple-tinted glasses, was a bit shorter and had brown hair in two pigtails. She also wore a pink dress, a white long-sleeve button-up shirt, purple leggings, and pink formal shoes. If Velma looked cute, then Madelyn looked positively adorable.
"Hey, everyone!" Madelyn said excitedly.
"Hey, Madds!" Fred beamed. "Been a while, hasn't it?"
"Great to see you!" Daphne added.
"I hope you've been doing well," Velma mentioned.
"I've been great, thanks!" Madelyn replied happily.
"Wow; like, have you grown or what?" Shaggy commented. "You're almost up to my head!"
"Hey, Shaggy~" Madelyn said with a small blush. For anyone who might be confused, back in the day, Madelyn had a crush on Shaggy. Apparently the old saying is true: absence makes the heart grow fonder.
"Rey! Rhat about re?" Scooby asked.
"Oh!" Madelyn replied as she petted Scooby. "Nice to see you too, Scooby-Doo!"
Scooby grinned in response.
Then Madelyn noticed Scrappy next to Scooby while he was waving. "Oh! Who's this little guy?" she asked. "Did you meet someone, Scooby?"
"Ruh-uh," Scooby shook his head. "Re's ry rephew."
"Glad to know ya," Scrappy held up a hand to shake. "Name's Scrappy-Doo."
"I'm Madelyn, Velma's little sister." Madelyn introduced.
"Now that we're all introduced, how long has this demon attack been going on?" Fred asked.
"Only since yesterday, but social media made it spread like a wildfire in the dry season," Marlon explained.
"It came without warning, and nobody knows where it came from," Whirlen added.
"Do you know of anyone who might want to scare the students away?" queried Daphne.
"Not personally, but the best theory is that it's someone that might be jealous of the greater skills of other students." Madelyn suggested.
"Know anybody like that?" asked Scrappy.
"I'm not sure, I've been too deep in my studies." Madelyn admitted.
"Becoming a magician is her biggest dream, and she's been working hard for it," Velma explained.
"Okay, looks like we'll have to split up and look for clues," said Fred.
"And in the meantime, maybe we can take a few magic classes?" Daphne suggested.
"Hey, yeah!" Scrappy beamed. "And if that big ugly demon comes out, I'll be there to watch Daphne's back!"
He did a few jabs and uppercuts.
"He's an excitable guy." Whirlen commented.
"Don't we know it," Shaggy remarked. "Okay, how are we splitting up this time?"
"Actually, we're splitting up based on the classes we'll be taking," Fred explained. "It'll expand our horizons, observations, and maybe we'll get some help while undercover as students."
"Well...okay," said Madelyn. "Who's going to whichever class?"
"Actually, I want to go learn about being a magician's assistant." Daphne admitted.
"Alright, that's fine," said Madelyn. "Room 226, down the hall."
"Thanks." Daphne said as she left.
"Any chance Scoob and I could learn some disappearing acts?" Shaggy asked.
"No need for that," Velma chuckled. "You guys disappear every time something scary might happen!"
"Rut rhe monsters always find us!" Scooby mentioned.
"Hang on, I got an idea!" Scrappy realized. "Maybe we could learn how to get better control of our powers!"
"Powers?" The Merlin brothers asked.
"Oh, right...we haven't explained that," said Fred.
ONE EXPLANATION LATER...
After hearing it all, the Merlin brothers looked a bit nervous.
"Well...that is all very interesting, but we don't know anything about that kind of magic." Whirlen admitted.
"Unfortunately, we're just a couple of illusionists that use the art of being misleading and a little bit of technology in order to perform genuine tricks rather than genuine magic." Marlon explained.
"Meaning that we regrettably have no possible chance of helping you ourselves," Whirlen said with a frown.
"However, just because we can't use real magic, that doesn't mean that there aren't people that can." Marlon pointed out.
"Well, thanks anyway," Fred replied. "Still, we're glad to help out."
"So, about those disappearing acts?" Shaggy asked.
"I can help with that in classroom 107." Marlon replied.
"Rhen read on!" Scooby instructed.
"Come along, then," Marlon advised as he led the way, and Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy followed him down the hall.
"If you're interested, I'm teaching a course on how to make items levitate," Whirlen told the rest.
"Sure, that sounds good," commented Fred.
" 'Good'? It sounds GREAT!" Madelyn exclaimed, practically bursting at the seams.
Everyone went to class as someone was watching them from the shadows. But as suddenly as it appeared...it was gone in seconds.
Eventually everyone got to class and started observing the other students while learning about the arts of Illusions.
Velma and Fred made sure to take notes during the class, as did Madelyn.
Whirlen did reveal the use of extra-thin, strong wires along with magnetism for some tricks, but others they had to figure out for themselves.
Such challenges did at least intrigue Velma and Fred...plus, Madelyn was pretty excited.
Over in Marlon's class, Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy learned about using smokebombs and flashbombs as effective distractions for quick getaways.
"This flashbomb stuff isn't too bad, Scoob," commented Shaggy. "After all, it sure does help with a fast exit!"
"Reah!" Scooby agreed.
"Plus, we can get the jump on the monster!" Scrappy suggested.
"I guess that wouldn't be too bad," Shaggy had to admit.
"Plus, it would help us avoid one too many chases," Scrappy mentioned. "...then again, how do they do the whole bigger-on-the-inside trick?"
"That's kinda simple, actually..." Marlon said before whispering it to Scrappy. "Don't tell anyone, or it'll lose its appeal."
"Gotcha!" Scrappy agreed.
But while they were learning more about magic (or at least, sleight of hand), they were going to get an unwanted visitor...
A while later Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy were inbetween classes and were looking to get a snack.
"I just wish we asked where the heck the cafeteria was in this kooky castle," Shaggy commented. "I'm practically wastin' away!"
"Reah, I'm starving too!" Scooby remarked, as his stomach grumbled.
"And I'm a growin' puppy!" Scrappy added as his stomach grumbled too. "Uncle Scooby and I should be able to sniff it out, but no luck."
"Aw, man!" Shaggy sighed. "There's gotta be SOMEPLACE to grab some grub around here!"
"Try right here~" A scary voice rumbled from above them.
"Like, man, are you for real?" Shaggy asked as he glanced up. "Why would there be food up...there..."
Grinning ghoulishly down at him was the demon, who had a napkin around his neck while licking his chops. "I know I found MY meal~!" he rumbled.
"No time like the present to try this!" Scrappy declared as he held up a flash bomb.
"Little whelp...do you believe that this can stop me?" the Demon bellowed as he flew towards them.
"Who sez it's supposed t'stop ya?" said Scrappy, as he wound up his arm and threw the flashbomb right at the demon's face. Upon impact, it blew up, resulting in a blinding flash.
"RAAAAAAUGH! MY EYES!" the demon bellowed, clawing at his face.
In the middle of the havoc, the trio sprang up and made a run for it.
"Now this is a getaway!" Shaggy declared as they ran.
"Rou raid it!" Scooby replied as he and the others darted down a hallway, turning left.
They came to a dead end, but around them were suits of armor. As the demon caught up, he found the suits.
"I know you're here somewhere..." he growled; so he started sniffing around, in the hopes of catching a whiff.
However something else caught his attention—a skunk, which was apparently one of the animals for use in shows, which came walking by. Why anyone would use a skunk in a magic act is beyond me, but I'm not the one going to a magic academy.
"Hmph..." the demon growled as he turned and left.
Once he was gone, Scrappy slipped out of a suit of armour and found the name tag for the skunk. "Huh, he belongs to The Great Stinker," he read. "Apparently the guy has a gimmick for magic that literally stinks and this is his skunk for the skunk-out-of-the-hat trick."
"...so I see," commented Shaggy.
"Rhew!" Scooby sighed in relief. "Rat reast he's gone!"
"Like, yeah..." Shaggy agreed. "At least for now."
"So whaddo we do now?" asked Scrappy.
"Well, let's go find someone who works here," said Shaggy. "Maybe they know where the mess hall is."
Suddenly, the skunk got their attention and tried to get them to follow it.
"Like, don't look now...but I think he wants us to follow him!" Shaggy exclaimed.
"Maybe re rows where rhe food is?" Scooby suggested. The skunk nodded and continued gesturing to the left.
"Then I guess we go after him," Scrappy responded, and off they went after the skunk.
They followed the skunk and surprisingly he did lead them to the cafeteria, just in time for dinner.
"Like, wow!" exclaimed Shaggy, utterly ecstatic. "I smell something good!"
"Funny how that works out, huh?" Scrappy commented. "Followin' a skunk to a good smell!"
"Rell, he has reen here ronger," Scooby pointed out.
So, the group headed into the dining hall, where they found their friends seated. They joined the group as Whirlen told everyone that their favorite dishes would appear after pulling up the lids to their plates.
So they each gave it a try.
"Like, wow!" exclaimed Shaggy. "Two extra-cheesy cheese pizzas, and a side of pickles!"
"Roh, boy!" Scooby beamed. "Scooby Snax covered in whipped cream and cheese whiz!"
"Now THIS is something!" Scrappy remarked. "A Scooby Snax personal pizza, plus a double cheeseburger!"
And at once, the dogs tucked in, eating messily and happily.
Nearby was seated a rabbit in a suit jacket. He stuck out his tongue. "BRRACH!" he gagged.
"Who is that bunny paired with?" Velma asked her sister.
"Oh, that's Magic Rabbit," responded Madelyn. "He usually works with..."
"That would be ME," said a man who resembled an old-timey magician, top hat, mustache, and all as he made his way to his seat. "The Grrrrreat Fondoo! At your service."
[Yep. From the Laff-a-Lympics!]
"Oh, really?" Velma asked. "He kinda looks bored."
"Oh, he's always like that," Fondoo responded. "And he's not bored, just disgusted. And considering how those two canines are stuffing their faces, I couldn't blame him."
"Well, at least I know how to be friendly to people!" Scrappy replied as he heard the comment.
"You little mongrel!" fumed Fondoo as he got his wand out. "See if you can mouth off when you're eating flies!"
He waved his wand in the air. "Remiehcs!" he exclaimed, casting his wand forward...only to be engulfed in smoke, and as the smoke cleared, he himself was a frog now!
"Maybe I oughta throw you on a lilypad outside!" Scrappy remarked.
Suddenly Frogdoo was picked up by another student. "Well, maybe I can put him to good use," he remarked. "...frog legs sound like a solid idea!"
Magic Rabbit scurried over and snatched him with his ears before hopping away and sticking out his tongue.
"Yeesh," remarked Shaggy as he tucked into his pizza. "What's a crumb like that doin' here, anyway?"
"We generally open our doors to anyone, but lately we've been rethinking our behavior stats when it comes to interactions between students." Marlon explained.
"He likes to puff himself up, but he's not a very good magician anyway," added Crystal.
"So...has anyone managed to find anything on the demon?" asked Velma.
"Turns out that there have been occurrences where magicians have summoned strange things before, but a demon—a real one—would require the use of pure black magic." Madelyn explained.
"Demons can be similar to ghosts at times, right?" asked Fred. "We've still got that Ghostbusters equipment!"
"Right, so if it's real then the PKE meter should pick it up." Velma pointed out.
"I'll go get it from the van," Daphne offered.
"And I'll come with," said Scrappy. "After all, a bodyguard has to protect their charge!"
Daphne rolled her eyes with a smile. "Alright," she agreed as they left.
"Hey, Madds," said Shaggy. "Wouldja maybe want some of my pizza? I mean...considering it's eight slices and seven pickles, it might be a little much for just me."
"I wouldn't mind trying some." Madelyn agreed while she offered up some of her fries. "Want some fries?"
"Well, alright!" Shaggy responded as he accepted a few of the fries, which were special, extra-crispy seasoned fries. "Whoa...like, these are pretty good!"
"I had a feeling you might like it," Madelyn replied.
"Okay, so is there any backstory to this demon?" Velma inquired. "Some lore, perhaps?"
"There was a story about a powerful magician that sought immortality, but he ended up becoming a demon instead, corrupted in his quest," Whirlen explained.
"Golly...the things some people will do for power!" commented Fred.
"No kidding," Marlon agreed.
"And now he's come back to take his rage out on everyone," said Daphne as she and Scrappy returned.
"That may be," mused Whirlen. "But that creature could only come through if another magician summoned him."
"Assuming he's real or not," Velma said as Daphne handed over the PKE meter. Once she had it, she turned it on and began to wave it about the area.
"Like, maybe it was that flake Fondoo," suggested Shaggy as he ate another pickle. "He's got a real axe to grind about his lack of magical talent!"
"He definitely seems like the type..." Velma agreed while scanning around and getting nothing. "Hmm, I don't think we're dealing with a real demon."
"How do you figure?" Shaggy asked.
"Well, for one, he didn't register on the PKE," Velma responded.
"That's proof enough," Marlon declared. "I'm familiar with Egon Spengler's work."
"Met him while in New York, where we also met Scrappy." Fred pointed out.
Scrappy nodded and took a bow.
"We'll look into Fondoo," replied Whirlen. "But we definitely need some form of evidence."
"We do have a security system along with cameras that they could look into," Marlon suggested.
"Then we'll go and take a look over that!" Fred decided. "Maybe it could give us an advantage!"
"Agreed," Velma replied as she put away the PKE meter.
So the gang got up and followed Whirlen and Marlon to the security system. Of course, Shaggy brought his food along with him.
However, someone was watching from the shadows.
After a bit of walking, the gang and the Merlins arrived at the security system room. But they were brought to a stop when their path was blocked by the arrival of the demon.
"Great..." Shaggy gulped. "Looks like we got a roadblock!"
"Then I say we remove 'im!" Scrappy exclaimed, cracking his knuckles.
"Try removing THIS!" boomed the demon as he pulled something out and dropped it, unleashing a red powder.
"Oh no, itching powder!" Whirlen called out...and the group started scratching furiously.
Amidst the commotion, someone snuck into the security room.
"Consider this a mere taste of what happens should you dare to defy my might!" the demon bellowed, laughing wickedly as he took off.
A while after he left, the others were able to get to their feet—still itching, of course.
"I hate itching powder!" Fred said.
"Yeah, well, we aren't exactly fans of it either!" Shaggy grunted as he and Scooby were scratching like mad.
"Rhis is rorse rhan fleas!" groaned Scooby.
"Let's check the security footage." Velma declared.
But when she and the others went to check the footage, they found that it had been scrubbed clean!
"Looks like that demon was a distraction," sighed Velma.
"And we'll get after him..." grunted Daphne. "As soon...as we deal...with the itching!"
ONE SHOWER LATER...
Once the gang and the Whirlen brothers were no longer itching, they were all good to go.
"I'm going to see if I can do anything about recovering the data from the security footage," said Velma.
"In the meantime, we'll have to set up a mandatory curfew," said Crystal. "As long as this demon is roaming around, nobody on campus is safe."
"In that case, it looks like we're sticking around overnight," said Fred.
"We have dorm rooms that you can use during your stay," Marlon offered.
"Thanks," said Daphne. "Could we see them?"
"You're coming with me, because we don't allow co-ed dorms," Crystal told Daphne.
Daphne shrugged. "OK. See you when things kick into high gear!" she replied.
"Give it an hour—maybe less," said Shaggy.
"And that's when the fists start flyin'!" Scrappy declared as he followed Daphne.
"Sorry, but the rule counts for boy dogs too," Crystal admitted to Scrappy.
"Gee...how's a bodyguard supposed to guard from afar?" Scrappy asked, as he rejoined the others.
"I don't think anyone really needs a bodyguard here at the moment," Velma suggested. "After all, they've got plenty of protection here—namely, a lion."
Shaggy did a double-take. "...couldja back up?" he asked. "I almost thought I heard you say 'lion'."
"You did," Whirlen confirmed. "We have a trained lion that has worked with us in our acts and works as security here."
"...okay then," said Shaggy, shrugging it off. He'd seen enough crazy spooky stuff up to this point so that something like this didn't faze him.
"So whaddo we do now?" Scrappy inquired.
"What else?" asked Fred. "We get some shuteye.
"And maybe, like, grab some snacks," Shaggy suggested.
"Roh-kay!" Scooby beamed. "Ri can do that!"
Scrappy shrugged. "Eh, alright," he relented.
As the majority of the group turned in for the night, they all tried to come up with ideas on what could be next in the case.
While Shaggy and Scooby went looking for the kitchen, Velma was up for a little while longer looking over what little tidbits she could find.
After some time, she finally discovered something. She had to show her friends—but not tonight.
When she hit the pillow, she crashed hard. After all, she HAD been up for a while.
The next morning, the gang was gathered in the cafeteria for breakfast.
"So, what've you got?" asked Fred.
"I managed to patch some footage back together, and I think I found something important," Velma said.
The gang clamored around to see Velma's discovery—a collection of images of a top hat entering the security room.
"And that's not all," Velma declared as she pulled out a bag with some hairs in it. "I also found these—rabbit hairs."
"And I'd bet a whole box of Scooby Snax that they belong to one rabbit in particular!" Scrappy exclaimed.
"Well then, with all this evidence I think it's time for a trap." Fred advised.
"So, how's this gonna go down?" asked Daphne.
"And am I gonna get to sock that dopey demon right in his ugly mug?" Scrappy added.
"Maybe, but I think we'll need some bait," Velma pointed out. "However, we'll at least give you the option to not do it this time." She told Shaggy and Scooby.
"...then like, we chose not to!" Shaggy beamed.
"Reah! Re do!" Scooby nodded.
"Are you sure?" Madelyn asked while blushing. "I think you'd be brave to try."
"More like utterly terrified—I mean, that big ugly creep could turn us into poliwogs or pincushions!" Shaggy exclaimed. "But...I guess we might as well."
"I'll be goin' too!" Scrappy declared. "Just in case!"
"No way we could stop ya," replied Fred, tussling his hair.
"Ri reel retter raving Scrappy rith us," Scooby admitted.
"Good to know," replied Scrappy. "Now let's go!"
And with that, Shaggy and Scooby went with him to get dressed up.
AND SO, A FEW MINUTES LATER...
"And now, like, pre-senting, the Incomparable Shaggini, and his lovely assistant, Scoobsie!" Shaggy exclaimed as he stood on stage in a classical magician's outfit, accompanied by Scooby in a brunette wig and dress.
"Does this sorta thing happen often?" Scrappy asked from inside Shaggy's hat.
"On a few occasions, yeah," Shaggy replied. "It's a circumstancial sorta thing, y'know?"
"Got it!" Scrappy nodded.
"And now, being the greatest magicians of all time, we are going to demonstrate the greatest magic trick ever conceived!" Shaggy continued.
Just then, the demon emerged from a hidden entrance in the wall. "What fools these mortals be..." he growled. "Perhaps they must be educated."
"More like we'll educate you!" Scrappy called out as he had heard what he said.
"Eh? Who dares?" the demon boomed, snarling.
"We dare, that's who!" Scrappy exclaimed as he popped out of the top of the hat.
"Sorry, Scrap—we dare, but HE scares!" Shaggy exclaimed as he and Scooby made a run for it, while the demon was hot on their heels...quite literally in Scooby's case.
"I hope you don't trip in those, Uncle Scooby!" Scrappy said.
"Rheesh!" Scooby remarked as he took the heels off and threw them at the Demon.
KLUNK! BONK!
They both hit his head, but he didn't let up on his pursuit.
"Time to give him the runaround!" Shaggy exclaimed as they headed up a spiral staircase.
"If it wasn't for this crazy chase, this could be fun!" Scrappy remarked.
"Reah, if you're into that," mused Scooby.
Soon, they made it to the bottom of the stairs and led the demon towards the trap. Upon looking back, they could see he was still on their trail and gaining fast.
"We're, like, almost there!" Shaggy pointed out.
"Rand so is he!" Scooby exclaimed.
Fortunately, they headed into a room where all the students and staff were ready with the trap.
As they entered, the demon followed behind them—and ran right into the middle of the trap.
"Strobe lights, go!" Fred called as they flashed strobe lights right into the demon's face. The Demon screamed as he raised an arm, shielding his eyes as he stumbled backwards.
Just as planned.
"Confetti cannoneers, fire!" Velma called out, as cannons fired confetti at the demon.
As he angrily swatted at the confetti, he stumbled back onto a massive roll of flypaper which completely trapped the demon. He struggled and pulled against his new bindings, but he couldn't break free.
"We got him!" Daphne declared as everyone cheered.
And so, the group gathered around for the big unmasking.
"Now let's see who this despicable demon REALLY is!" Fred exclaimed, and Velma pulled off the mask to see who it was.
"The Great Fondoo?!" they exclaimed when the misanthropic magician was unmasked.
"Ahh, you lousy brats!" fumed the Great Fondoo.
"Not wanting to be outdone as a magician, again, he's been trying to get this school shut down," Velma pointed out.
"I guess he figured if he couldn't be a great magician, he would prevent the next generation from outdoing him," Madelyn added.
"Precisely!" Velma confirmed.
"If he had any sort of integrity and thought for a while, maybe he'd realize it's that sort of mindset that's keeping him stuck at the level of a bush-league illusionist," commented Whirlen.
"I can't argue with that," Marlon responded.
"A pox on all of you," snorted Fondoo.
"Brrach!" Magic Rabbit exclaimed, sticking his tongue out.
Suddenly the skunk that helped Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy [from earlier] came out and took aim at Fondoo and his rabbit.
"Yeeeaaaagh!" they both shrieked.
"Alakazam, alakazeer, get us the heck out of here!" Fondoo yelped, and in an instant, they both vanished...
But, upon seeing another puff of smoke, everyone turned and saw that the two villains had ended up in a cage.
"Like, whaddya know?" smiled Shaggy. "This is the first time a bad guy ever caged himself!"
"Rehehehehee!" Scooby chuckled at the sight before him.
Eventually, the cops came and took Fondoo away along with his rabbit. Both of them were in handcuffs, although Magic Rabbit had his ears in cuffs.
"And I would've gotten away with it, were it not for you pesky kids and your dogs!" fumed The Great Fondoo as he was taken into the police vehicle.
"Looks like the Great Fondoo will be making one last disappearing act—into jail," declared Fred, as the door was shut and Fondoo was hauled away.
Of course, his imprisonment wouldn't last long. Not if he had anything to say about it.
AND SO, AFTER THE BIG ARREST...
"We really owe you kids one," said Whirlen. "If it wasn't for you, we might've had to close the school."
"We may not have magical talent like you all, but we do have our talents when it comes to solving mysteries!" Fred declared with a smile.
"And they are most impressive," Marlon added.
"How about we show them our appreciation by inviting them to the next show that our school puts on?" Crystal suggested.
"Splendid idea, Crystal!" beamed Whirlen.
"Oh, boy!" Scrappy exclaimed. "A bonafide magic show!"
"And we've chosen Madelyn to join us this time!" Marlon pointed out.
"Wow!" Madelyn gushed. She was positively giddy, delighted, over the moon with joy!
"Like, wow, Madds!" exclaimed Shaggy. "This is a big moment for you."
Madelyn blushed. "I know—and I guess I owe you!" she replied as she kissed him on the cheek.
Shaggy began to blush, and Daphne watched, then made a mental note to ask Madelyn if she'd be interested in joining their growing polycule.
A while later the stage was set and the audience had gathered, especially with some special guests in the forms of Penn, Teller and Zatanna.
"Ladies and gentlemen, students, we are proud to present...the magnificent Madelyn Dinkley!" exclaimed an announcer as the curtains lifted, revealing Madelyn, clad in a a white shirt, bow tie and gloves, a low cut yellow vest, a black blazer, black mini-shorts with gray stockings and black boots reaching midway up her calves, and assisting her was Daphne.
[as for Daphne's outfit, think the assistant one she wore in the Scooby-Doo and Guess Who episode "The Cursed Cabinet of Professor Madds Marksen"...which is also where we got the designs for Penn and Teller!]
[Zatanna's design is a mix of her DCAU one and the DC Super Hero Girls 2019 one.]
The others clapped and whistled before they got ready to watch the show.
Daphne stepped into a cabinet, then Madelyn closed the doors before showing the crowd that it was nothing special about said cabinet...next, she waved a wand; when she opened the box, Scooby was inside. Then a spotlight found Daphne in the back row of the audience.
"Ta-da!" Scooby exclaimed, doing jazz paws.
"Awesome!" Scrappy exclaimed.
Even the guest magicians were happy at the trick as they joined the applause.
Madelyn smiled and took her bows for the crowd, before she went backstage and found Shaggy.
"You were pretty great up there, Mads," Shaggy complimented.
"Thanks, Shaggy~!" Madelyn replied with a smile and a blush.
"You're definitely welcome," responded Shaggy.
Everyone was happy as the mystery was solved, plus a magic show was a great way to top things off!
"Scooby-Kadoobra-Doo!" exclaimed Scooby with a wink.
EPILOGUE:
At that moment, the Great Fondoo and Magic Rabbit were both sitting in the back of the paddy wagon, being carted off to jail.
Then suddenly the vehicle came to a halt, and shook.
"Huh?" Fondoo asked as he glanced out through the bars of the vehicle. "What are they stopping for?"
Magic Rabbit shrugged, before the door was opened and someone stepped inside. Neither of them could make out the details of the individual's face, though.
"Eh?" Fondoo inquired. "Who is that?"
"Consider yourself lucky, because I have the offer of a lifetime for you, which will make you the greatest magician ever," the mysterious person explained.
Fondoo smirked. "Just tell me where we begin," he declared.
"Follow me," the person advised before leaving the paddy wagon.
Fondoo and Magic Rabbit glanced at each other, before they quickly leapt from the back of the truck and followed their mysterious new benefactor.
One mystery might have ended, but another one was just beginning.
NEXT TIME:
Who's headed out to the park? Who is—Mystery Inc!
Who'll stay cool when things get dark? Who will? Who do you think?
Who believes a wild daydream, he'll help the kids to solve this scheme!
And still he winds up on the beam?
YO-GI BEEEEAR~!
Yogi: That's right, folks! Keep an eye out for me next time—it's the smarter-than-the-average-bear thing to do!
Boo-Boo: Plus, leave a review!
Yogi: That too, little buddy!
Stay tuned for "SCARIER THAN THE AVERAGE BEAR"
with special guest stars YOGI BEAR and BOO-BOO [plus some others too!]