//------------------------------// // Welcome to La Serena // Story: G5 Adventures in Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur // by ponydog127 //------------------------------// The plan had been made-- the Mystery Inc gang and their pony pals were going to set off to La Serena the next morning for Fred to complete his extra-credit project, and to help Shaggy relax a bit from their break of not solving mysteries. However, as she tried her best to get to sleep that night, Zipp just couldn't. In fact, she spent half the night in the living room, thinking about what all had went on in the past couple of days. The fact that Shaggy being so scared of ghosts and monsters was enough to get her worried, but he was so scared that the gang had to give up mystery solving for good? Zipp couldn't bear to think about how unhappy the rest of the gang could be... especially when there was a mystery around and they couldn't interfere. “You’re thinking about all this too, huh, Zipperdoodle?” Zipp turned to see her sister and Scooby tiredly walking into the living room, leaving the white pegasus to sigh. “Sorry if I woke you up, guys… it’s just hard to think about the gang’s mystery solving career going down the drain,” she said as her younger sister and Scooby sat down near her. “I’m sure Shaggy must feel pretty responsible.” “Well… he does feel kinda bad,” Scooby said with a slight shrug. “But, I’m sure this whole overreaction to fear will pass with a little time,” Pipp added. “That’s why we’re taking this trip to La Serena in the morning-- to give Shaggy a chance to unwind from all the mystery-solving craziness happening lately.” “I know, but… what if I could help him somehow?” Zipp asked in thought. “I mean, I do represent the element of courage-- maybe I could develop some sort of plan to help Shaggy gain some courage of his own.” “Me too?” Scooby asked, causing Zipp to giggle and gently rub the dog on top of the head. “Yes, Scooby, you can get some courage of your own too.” “As much as I hate to say this… I don’t think that plan will work the way you want it to, sis,” Pipp said. “Getting confidence to do something takes a lot of time, and it can't just happen overnight. I mean… I was only eight before I finally had the courage to sing for the first time and get my cutie mark, remember?” “...yeah. I remember that day,” Zipp nodded, remembering the day fondly. “You got yours right after I got mine, doing all those parkour moves in the square.” “Exactly,” the pink pegasus spoke with a nod. “It can take a while to gain or even regain your confidence. Just give it some time, Zipp. I'm sure that Shaggy will gain courage of his own with time and patience.” Zipp sighed in reluctance, eventually nodding. “I guess you do have a point. Okay, Pipp... I'll take this nice and slow, for Shaggy’s sake.” “Great to hear, sis. Now, let's get back to bed,” Pipp told Zipp and Scooby. “We have a long way to go to get to La Serena, and I have to get to work on brand new outfits for helping Fred out on that paleontological dig!” XXXXXXXX By the time the next morning arrived, our heroes were well on their way to La Serena for their relaxing getaway, spending time reminiscing on their old adventures and the ponies telling the gang every fact they could think of about Equestria, in case they missed something during previous tales. However, it took a little longer for our heroes to get to where they were going because of all the crazy pit stops that the GPS was making them go to. Not that the ponies minded, of course-- it was good to get out and do things they had never experienced before. Finally, it was getting to be late in the afternoon, and they continued to drive down the desert roads until the GPS spoke again. “You will soon be approaching your destination.” “Forgive me for being blunt, but I thought you disconnected the GPS, Fred,” Sunny said. “It was a long drive,” Fred shrugged, “and I needed directions.” “Except, that on the way here,” Velma said, “it took us to five chili joints, an all-night bowling alley and a meteor crater.” “And don’t forget the tattoo parlor, huh?” the GPS suddenly spoke up, surprising the ponies. “Like, I will never forget the tattoo parlor,” Shaggy said, showcasing the tattoo of the mouth and chicken leg he got on his arm. “When I flex, it looks like it's chewing! Ha ha ha!” “Hey, that is kind of cute!” Izzy said. “Maybe we should consider getting a tattoo parlor in Equestria!” “Somehow… I doubt Posey would like the sound of that,” Zipp said with a shudder. “Hold on a second,” Velma said, suddenly realizing something that she had previously forgotten from the other day. “Didn't the doctor forbid Shaggy to get into this van?” “He told Shaggy not to get into the Mystery Machine,” Fred responded with a smug smile. “That’s why I asked Izzy to do a little repainting.” That’s when Velma stuck her head out of the window to get a better look. “You renamed it the Mustard Machine?” “Hey, I didn’t want to ruin the entire paint job,” Izzy shrugged, “and besides, the Mustard Machine sounds really cute! Maybe something a hot dog would drive!” As Izzy said this, the Mystery Machine moved closer and closer into the main part of La Serena, with only a little further to go until they reached their destination. “Hope you kids enjoyed the ride…” said the GPS, “...because I don't think I'll ever get the smell of Scooby-Doo out of my upholstery.” “Huh?!” Scooby said, appalled and offended entirely before snapping the GPS shut, not wanting it to talk anymore. “Don’t listen to a WORD of what that mean device said, Scooby-Doobers,” Pipp said, scratching the Great Dane lovingly. “I love being a social media influencer, really-- I do, but the things people AND ponies can say… ugh! Really just gets on my nerves.” “Hopefully we won’t have any more problems like that while we’re at the spa,” Misty said with a sigh. “Nothing but relaxing for us!” “Speaking of relaxing,” Hitch said to the others, looking out the window, “we’re here!” Just as Hitch said, the van was pulling up to the entrance of the La Serena Spa, where they all got out and got the chance to look around, with Shaggy and Pipp being the most ecstatic. “I think I'm gonna, like, like this place!” Shaggy smiled. “Me too!” Pipp said before looking at a poster on the wall with a gasp. “They have a hot tub!! Man, they are really speaking the influencer’s lifeline right now!” “Easy, Pipp,” Sunny chuckled at Pipp's enthusiasm. “We still have to check in with the owner first.” That's when the owner came out from the spa to greet them-- an elderly man with with long, gray hair he wore in a ponytail, and wore granny-like glasses. “Aha!” he chuckled warmly. “If it isn’t Frank, Danny, Veronica, Slappy and their young zebra friends!” “...it isn’t,” Velma deadpanned, but the man paid no attention as he got a good look at Shaggy. “And you must be Scooby-Doo. I've heard so much about you.” ‘ “...huh?” the ponies and Scooby chorused out of confusion. “Are you sure he’s a Great Dane?” the man asked the others in a whisper, gesturing to Shaggy. “He seems more like some kind of wolfhound.” “I’m the dog,” Scooby spoke to the man to get his attention. “You can say that again, Scabby,” the man chucked before gesturing the group inside the spa. “Come in, come in. I'm so happy you're here! My name is Mr. Hubley, and I’ll be happy to do anything you kids might need.” “Thank you so much, sir,” Sunny smiled. “We really appreciate it.” “And I know just what we should do to get this spa getaway started,” Pipp said with a sly look before flying off. “To the hot tub!” “Heh… why am I not surprised?” Zipp asked her friends with a shrug, but nevertheless, they all followed Pipp to get changed and take a dip in the hot tub’s warm waters. XXXXXXXX The gang had remembered to pack their own swimsuits, and Mr. Hubley was gracious enough to let the ponies take some bathing suits from his own stock, and their cutie mark magic customized each one of the bathing suits to the ponies' personal liking. Sunny's bathing suit was a one piece that was a lighter color than her fur color, with a white flower behind her ear. Izzy's bathing suit was a two piece that was light blue and dark blue, with wave like designs. Hitch's swimming trunks were dark green with a white stripe, and he wore a white flower behind his ear like Sunny, so they could match. Zipp's bathing suit was merely a pair of dark blue and white swimming trunks. Pipp's bathing suit was a dark purple one piece with a skirt to tie the look together. Misty's bathing suit was a one piece that was dark purple with some orange and pink mixed in. And needless to say, the ponies realized that Pipp was right in her love for hot tubs-- it was EXTREMELY relaxing soaking in the warm waters. “This is a great place you got here, Mr. Hubley,” Shaggy said with a smile, completely relaxed by that point. “Oh, no need to be so formal, Spanky,” Mr. Hubley said politely. “Call me Mr. Hubley.” “Er, um…” Shaggy stammered, at a loss for words. “Uh, Shag... Spank... Shaggy…” “Yes, we'll be open to the public next week,” Mr. Hubley continued speaking. “I would have made it bigger, but I couldn't get the locals to sell their land.” “Oh, that's too bad,” Daphne said with a frown. “Yeah, but what are you gonna do? Dress up as a ghost and scare them off?” Mr. Hubley asked with a chuckle before suddenly thinking of something. “Eh... oh, nah.” “Well, whether it's bigger or smaller, we think this place is pretty great,” Sunny smiled. “Pipp, we should think about adding a full-fledged spa center to Mane Melody!” “A combination karaoke bar, a salon and a rejuvenation spa?! Sunny, you are a literal genius!” Pipp squealed, putting the idea into her phone. “I'm sure Rocky and Jazz are going to flip when they hear about this!” Suddenly, growling stomachs caused her to look up, and Shaggy gave the Great Dane next to him a smile. “Ah. Still in perfect sync, eh, Scoob?” “Yeah,” Scooby nodded with a giggle. “Perfect sync.” “Like, you got anything to eat around here, Mr. Hubley?” Shaggy asked, only for Mr. Hubley to shake his head. “Sorry, Saggy. There's an outdoor barbecue tonight in the town square.” “Hey, I think that's right near the dig site!” Fred realized. “We can get some dinner, and then go check out the dig.” “And,” Pipp added, “us ponies can try out the new paleontological-themed outfits I made!” “Okay,” Mr. Hubley said, “but don't come back too late-- I'm making tofu-chip cookies. Mmm-mmm!” The ponies chuckled at this before they got out of the hot tub with their friends to change and then go check out the barbecue and the dig site later on. XXXXXXXX The barbecue in the town square was in full swing by the time the group arrived, and they indulged themselves in different kinds of foods-- grilled meats, veggies and fruits for all those who were vegetarian, not to mention different kinds of sweets and condiments. After the ponies had got done eating, they changed into the new outfits that Pipp had been hard at work on-- the perfect outfits for exploring a paleontological dig. Sunny wore a short-sleeved shirt that was light pink, brown boots and her signature saddlebag. Izzy wore a a dark blue shirt with a white hat and brown boots as well. Hitch wore a teal long-sleeved shirt with a hat like Izzy's. Zipp wore a white and gray plaid shirt with a watch on her front left hoof. Pipp wore a light blue shirt with white polka dots and brown boots. Lastly, Misty wore brown boots as well, but her short-sleeved shirt was a color mix of dark purple and pink. “Wow, you ponies look incredible!” Daphne exclaimed. “Thanks, Daphne,” Zipp said as she admired her new look. “Now if the rest of you are ready, we can head on to the dig before it gets too dark.” “Well, I know that the girls and I are ready,” Fred said, glancing at an overstuffed Shaggy and Scooby while he spoke, “but... Shaggy and Scooby? Eh, that could be a different story.” “Oh, boy... you guys go to the dig without us. We need a moment to...” Shaggy started before he belched lightly. “...digest.” “Or explode,” Scooby said before belching himself, causing Misty to rub him gently. “You guys go with Fred and the girls to the dig-- I'll stay with them and help them work off all that food and we'll meet you there.” “Sure thing, Misty. Be careful out there... Allura still could be on the prowl,” Zipp said sternly, causing Misty to nod before their friends set off toward the dig site. Misty helped Shaggy and Scooby onto their feet as they began to leave the pavillion, causing Shaggy to the Great Dane next to him. “When are we gonna learn not to overeat, Scooby-Doo? We even made up that little song.” Shaggy: Stop, stop, stop When the buttons pop Scooby: But we didn't stop “No, we didn't,” Shaggy said with a frown. “I swear, Scooby-Doo, I am never gonna eat again.” This caused Scooby to nod in agreement. “Never again.” “We'll see how long you two can last,” Misty giggled, mostly to herself. “Come on-- we have a long way to go, and not a lot of time to get there before it gets dark.” XXXXXXXX Misty led Shaggy and Scooby out of La Serena and into the hot desert of the American Southwest, and Shaggy could feel the heat creeping onto Jim quicker than he would have expected. “I didn't know the dig was so far away. We've been out here for, like, minutes.” “...I'm starving,” Scooby told Shaggy, causing Misty to giggle and pull a biscuit out of her pocket. “It's a good thing I saved a biscuit for later. You guys wanna split it? I'm not hungry right now.” “Yeah yeah yeah yeah!” Scooby nodded and trotted back toward her as Misty gave the biscuit to Shaggy to break apart. However, the biscuit escaped his reach and began to roll away. “Uh oh! We got a runner, you guys!” “OW!!” Scooby, Shaggy and Misty yelped as they all crashed into each other and fell on the ground as the biscuit stopped rolling. But before they could move to grab it, a small lizard grabbed the biscuit in his mouth and began running off with it. “Hey! Get back here you little scaled criminal!” Misty cried, getting up and galloping after the quick-moving reptile, giving Shaggy the chance to speak up. “Help Misty catch that biscuit, Scooby-Doo!” Scooby immediately darted after Misty, eventually getting ahead of her and chasing the lizard around the corner. But, what he saw when he finally stopped wasn't the lizard he was chasing... it was something much bigger. It was a large green dinosaur with scaly green skin, and glowing yellow eyes, staring down at the Great Dane and breathing on him, causing Scooby to blink for a few moments before doing the one thing he did best... run. XXXXXXXX Misty and Shaggy saw Scooby go around the corner, but they couldn't find him after he had disappeared... at least until they heard him yelp in fright. “Dinosaur!!” Scooby barreled right into Shaggy, leaving Misty out of the pile (much to her relief), but it was clear that the Great Dane was in clear panic. “Misty, Shaggy, look. A dinosaur!” “Rhino?” Shaggy blinked. “You saw a rhinoceros?” “No-- dinosaur.” “A dinosaur?” blinked Misty as she followed her friends around the corner. But when Shaggy saw the supposed dinosaur, it was only the lizard who stole the biscuit eating the biscuit. “Is that your dinosaur, Scooby-Doo.” “Uh-uh,” Scooby shook his head. “Bigger.” Shaggy gulped nervously at this. “Bigger?” “Bigger.” “Bigger...?” “Bigger!” Shaggy immediately bolted and hid as soon as this was said, but Scooby merely smirked and approached him. “Uh, no, not bigger. I'm just joking! Ha ha ha!” “Joking?” Shaggy questioned with a hint of frustration. “That's not funny, Scoob! That's not funny at all!” “Scooby, you know better than anyone that Shaggy doesn't need to hear or see scary stuff right now,” Misty scolded. “You need to respect what the doctor said a few days ago, and--” Suddenly, her ears twitched as soon as she heard a sound coming from a short distance away. “Hey... do you guys hear that?” Shaggy and Scooby listened to this for a moment, their faces growing concerned. “I hear it, but I don't like it,” Shaggy frowned. “It sounds like--” “Someone's crying!” Scooby interrupted, a clear look of worry on his face. “Come on,” Misty encouraged. “We better find out who's crying and see what we can do to help.” Shaggy and Scooby followed the blue unicorn representing empathy through the desert a little longer before they found a cave in the rocks, where a young dragon was hiding, who was virtually in tears. The dragon was a female, who was primarily black with blue and teal on her wings and on her tail fin, teal eyes and teal claws on her feet, and a purple amulet around her neck. Misty, Shaggy and Scooby looked at the dragon in concern for a few moments before the blue unicorn stepped out into the dragon's view, clearing her throat softly to get her attention. “Um... excuse me... are you okay?” The dragon gasped when she saw Misty, and tried to back away, obviously frightened. “Please, go away!” she begged the strange pony. “Let me live the rest of what I have of my life in peace!” “It's okay, it's okay,” Misty said with a gentle tone. “We're not going to hurt you. We just want to help you, cause... well... you seem really sad.” “Sad doesn't even cut it,” the dragon scoffed, trying to wipe her tears away. “You wouldn't have the slightest idea of what I've been through.” “Like, you're right. Maybe we won't understand,” Shaggy said as he sat down beside Misty and Scooby. “But we still want to listen and see if we can help.” “Maybe we could start with introductions,” Misty then spoke. “I'm Misty, and this is Shaggy and Scooby. What's your name?” “...Silhouette BlueSky,” the dragon muttered before taking a deep breath and sitting up straight. “The queen of the Sky Furies.” “You're a queen?” Scooby gasped in shock before they bowed. “Please, you needn't bow to me,” Silhouette shook her head. “I... don't even have a kingdom to govern anymore.” “What happened? I-If you don't mind us asking, of course,” Misty said politely, leading the dragon queen to sigh. “Poachers happened. They attacked by domain and set in ablaze in fires that we couldn't control. My home is gone, my subjects have fled... and I haven't been able to find any of them.” “Oh man... we're sorry, your queenliness,” Shaggy said to the dragon queen, frowning. “We had no idea.” “Is there anything we can do to help?” Misty asked sadly, but this led Silhouette to sigh. “Not unless you can try to find all of my subjects and find us a new home. Alas... my amethyst firestone amulet is the only thing that remains of my former home.” Misty, Shaggy and Scooby looked at the queen sadly, just before Scooby whispered into Misty’s ear, causing her to nod. “We may not be able to find every single subject of yours, Queen Silhouette, but... we do know of some friends who might be able to help you too... if you're willing to come with us.” Silhouette looked at each one of them for a moment before sighing... and nodding in reluctance. “If you really believe that these friends can help me decide my next steps, then... I believe that you will not steer me wrong. Lead the way, friends.” “Great!” Misty smiled, and the four friends began to walk in the direction of the dig, hoping to get there before it got too dark for them to see... ...unaware of what might occur while they were at the dig site.