Chapter Text
“Great Job, my young wizards, be sure to stop my the Magic Shoppe next year.” Mr. Gibbles congratulated. He pulled a candle from his pocket, intent that they at least got to say goodbye to Jack.
“Like, that’s the second time you’ve called us that.” Shaggy commented. “Why?”
“Why what?” Mr Gibbles paused, confused.
“Why are you calling us wizards?” Shaggy gestured to himself and Scooby. “There’s nothing magical about us.”
Mr. Gibbles froze, and Princess Willow and the Goblin King looked back in shock. “Nothing magical - Boys, are you completely unaware of what you just did?”
Shaggy shrugged. “Yeah, but like, we had your cards giving us some magic.”
“Rand Rack rand Roomey rand ra Rairies,” Scooby added.
The aged shopkeeper suddenly felt the need to sit down. He thought them negligent in their studies, certainly. But he’d never even considered the fact that they had no idea. By the powers of Halloween, he’d basically sent a normal boy and his dog to the Spirit World. “How could you not know?”
“Know what?” they both asked.
“That you two are steeped in magic.” The Goblin King answered, causing Scooby and Shaggy to jump. “It flows both to you and from within you.”
Shaggy gulped. “That’s, like, probably from the cards or witches brew or something.”
Mr. Gibbles shook his head. “Boys, normal people can’t use those cards. Heck, normal people can’t even find my shop. Real magic isn’t meant for them. Too often you end up with individuals like him.” He gestured towards the man trapped in the Goblin King’s cage.
“Are you telling me that those two are real magicians?!” Krudsky was practically foaming at the mouth.
“Yes, unlike you.” Princess Willow snapped at the man. “Their power is their own, not stolen.”
“This has got to be a mistake!” Shaggy argued
“Rig Ristake” Scooby agreed.
“It is not.” The Goblin King looked down on them, but his expression softened. “I do not know how you are unaware of what you are, but magical people are welcome in my Realm. You could come with us, master your power. You have my word you’d be under my protection. None of the creatures of darkness would bring you harm.”
“Nor the creatures of light.” Princess Willow added.
It was…oddly tempting. As terrified as he had been, there was something strangely right about the spirit world. But there was no way either would take them up on that offer, and they both knew it.
“Thanks, but no thanks man.” They both glanced back at the three figures, frozen in magic. “That would mean spending a whole year apart from our friends. And there’s no way that’s happening.”
“Rot ra rance,” Scooby agreed.
“They mean that much to you?” The Goblin King inquired.
“Enough that we were ready to face you down to keep them safe.” And really what better proof was there?
The Goblin King laughed. “Well said!” He was well aware of how intimidating he was.
Willow seemed to be thinking about something, then took a deep breath. “His friends are really good people,”
The Goblin King merely raised an eyebrow. “Are those not the same mortals who captured me, allowed the false magician to get my staff, and tried to take you for themselves?”
“I’m right here, you know?’ Krudsky snapped.
Willow shook her head. “They were trying to save me. I don’t think they knew who you were. I heard them talking; they were worried about me.”
The Goblin King glanced at the three mortals. More humans whom he’d misjudged. Yes, the three of them had done those five many a disservice tonight. Fairy Princess Willow, who’s carelessness started this fiasco, Gibbles, who’d sent two untrained and unaware wizards to what statistically should have been their doom, and himself, whose desperation to get his daughter back had overcome his judgement and escalated things allowing Krudsky to get his staff.
“Very well,” Dawn’s light was beginning to creep up there wasn’t much time. The Goblin King snapped his fingers and Fred, Daphne, and Velma came out of their trances. “Your friend may remember this night as well. If only so I don’t suffer the indignity of being caught in another of their traps.”
Fred had the grace to look sheepish.
“Are you going to be okay,” Daphne asked Willow.
“I’ll be fine,” The fairy assured her. She wasn’t looking forward to being grounded, but after seeing what had happened tonight, she wasn’t going to be sneaking out again any time soon.
“Go to where my shop was,” Mr. Gibbles advised. “I’ll leave a few things there for you when it fades. It should get you started on what you need to know.”
“Feel free to take any books from the False magician’s collection. He won’t be needing them.” The Goblin King grinned unnervingly. Krudsky gulped. “I look forward to checking on your progress next year.” Those were the last words spoken as the sun broke the horizon and they vanished back to their own world.
“Did that just happen?” Velma asked flatly. “Did any of that just happen?”
“It did,” Fred affirmed. “We tried to rescue a fairy and got turned into monsters.” The actual memory of that was kind of blurry, but still there. He remembered the darkness rolling over him, the feeling of cold and death, then the thirst for blood. It wasn’t something he ever wanted to feel again.
“Then Shaggy and Scooby turned up…on a flying broom?” Daphne half recalled/half asked.
“Yeah, it’s, like, been one way weird night for all of us.” Shaggy gave a weak laugh, then embraced his friends. “I’d thought we’d lost you guys. That Krudsky was going to turn you into his mindless monster minions and we’d never seen the real you again.”
“I don’t think we were exactly mindless, but I know I didn’t feel like me either,” Daphne confessed.
“It was like I was there but there was some kind of template overwriting my normal reaction to things,” Velma tried to explain. “The idea of chasing people was appealing, but I still knew you guys were my friends and I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Wish the Mystery Machine felt that way,” Fred bemoaned.
“It’s a van, Freddy.” Daphne reminded. “It didn’t have a mind of it’s own besides what Krudsky gave it.”
“Well, I for one am glad everything is back to normal and that Mystery Inc is once again magic-free,” Velma announced.
Scooby and Shaggy looked nervous. “Well, about that…”
Velma pinched the bridge of her nose. “So what else happened that’s going to shatter my long held faith in logic?”
They gulped. “Well, it like, turns out, you see-” Shaggy struggled to find the words. “The reason Mr. Gibbles sent us to stop Krudsky was we’re kind of wizards. But we didn’t know! And Mr. Gibbles and the Goblin King don’t know how we didn’t know, but we don’t. Er, didn’t. I mean, we know now since he told us, but-”
“Breathe, Shaggy.” Daphne instructed. “Did something happen to you like it did for us, or-”
“Re ron’t row,” Scooby answered.
“I mean, I guess we were wizards before this started, since Mr. Gibbles called us that as soon as he saw us. But I don’t know why or how long.” Had they always been wizards? It was a scary thought to not know something that big about yourself. But maybe that’s why he and Scooby always seemed to see things none of the rest of the gang did.
“Why don’t we check on the thing he said were waiting for you in the shop?” Fred suggested. “Maybe we’ll find some answers there.”
“Sounds good.” Shaggy glanced at the caravan wagon The Amazing Krudsky had set up in. “I don’t think I want anything that used to belong to him.
They got into the Mystery Machine (no longer the Monstrous Machine) and headed to where Scooby and Shaggy remembered the store being. The wrought-iron fence declaring ‘The Genuine Magic Shoppe’ were gone and the building itself was silent, as though it hadn’t been open for years.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” Velma asked.
“Rositive!” Scooby said as the opened the door. The room empty, all the merchandise gone and a think layer of dust over everything. Everything, that was, except for a small pile of books stacked on the counter. Fred picked up the first one. “Denizens of the Magical Realm” he read the cover out loud. ‘Beginning Spells for Wizards, Witches, and Warlocks’ was the next one, followed by ‘Magical Theory Made Simple’ and 'A Brief History of the Spirit World’.
“Jeepers, I guess this is the right place after all.” Daphne commented.
Velma picked up 'Magical Theory Made Simple’. “Shaggy, do you mind if I read this one? It might help me get a handle on things.” As much as she’d rather forget magic existed, she wasn’t going to ignore what was right in front of her. Especially if it was going to be a part of Scooby and Shaggy’s lives from now on.
“Like knock yourself out. I’m going to need all the help I can get, and you’ve always been the best tutor.”
Velma grinned at the compliment. “This isn’t my usual subject matter, so we’ll see. Let me give it a skim before you do any spells. That way if something goes wrong, I might be able to figure out what.”
“Spells, right.” Somehow the idea that he was a wizard and that he might be casting spells hadn’t quite connected. Using pre-spelled magic items others had made was one thing. Casting his own spells…
“Maybe you can make another flying broom,” Daphne suggested. “You looked like you were having fun on the one you had before.”
“Just promise me on thing guys,” Fred looked serious, “No spells on the van that I haven’t approved.”
“Not a problem, man” Shaggy promised. He knew how much the Mystery Machine meant to Fred.
“Of course, if you think of some good ones let me know.” He wasn’t nixing enchanting the van entirely, just no surprises.
Daphne gathered up the remaining books. “I think we all have a lot of reading to do. But I want to know about everything that happened last night first.”
“Okay, but can we catch breakfast first? Me and Scoob are starved.” Shaggy rubbed his rumbling stomach for effect.
“Re ridn’t ret to reat rour randy.” Scooby whimpered, doing his best to look pitiful.
Velma laughed. “Okay you two, but we’re getting the story while we eat.”
As the five headed out to the van, none knew they were being watched. The Goblin King stared into the crystal ball, watching the heroes of the Spirit World leave for breakfast. The wizard’s mortal friends did not balk, nor did they seek his power for their own purposes. Instead they rose to support and aid him however possible.
“I told you they were good,” Princess Willow reminded, sitting on her father’s shoulder.
“And in this case, I do believe you were right, dearest daughter.” The Goblin King agreed. For so long he’d only seen the worst of mortals. Those who sought to steal power or become monsters to harm others. He had truly begun to believe there were no good humans left, until last night.
Still, if they maintained this behavior perhaps a boon my be offered next Halloween. After all, there were three ways for a mortal to gain access to magic. They could be born with it, like Scooby and Shaggy. They could steal it, like Krudsky. Or it could be freely given.
And if his friends were as worthwhile as Shaggy believed, perhaps it was time for there to be a new coven in the worlds of men and monsters.