//------------------------------// // Kurse of the Kokonut Krab King // Story: "Scoota-Loo, Where Are You!?" // by Kieva Lynn //------------------------------// Palm trees swayed in the late evening breeze while tourists hustled about on the tiny island's main thoroughfare. The air was filled with the sounds of laughter and the scent of pina-coladas and spicy foods. Gabbin's Island, population two thousand, eight hundred twenty, was open for it's tourist season and all was well. Until... "Hey!" A man's voice exclaimed. "Bring that back!" All around, people looked to see what was happening. To their shock, a large crab came scuttling along the ground, a very expensive gold and platinum Rolex watch clutched in it's claws. The watch's owned raced along behind, shouting in vain for the creature to stop. Tourists jumped to get out of the way, and before long the crab had made it's way to the back of a dead end alley in between a pair of hotels/casinos. "I've got you now!" The man smiled. Then his jaw dropped as the creature turned and scurried up the side of one of the hotels, managing the sheer vertical surface as if it were nothing. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the crowd watching and shrugged. Then let out a yelp as another of the crabs appeared, climbing over a somehow oblivious woman's shoulder and grabbing her silver necklace. She screamed as the crab jumped to the ground and rushed away with her jewelry. Then, all at once, a panicked scream rippled through the crowd as dozens more of the beasts came, each pilfering valuables from someone before running off with them. The panic reached it's crescendo when a laughing voice echoed about, and an even larger crab, impossibly large, rose into view with it's claws raised high. "Yes! Go forth my servants! Go forth and rob for your king!" And the crowds fled as the crab king laughed maniacally... XXXXX One month later. Mystery Machine sat parked along a stretch of pristine beach on a bright, clear, sunny tropical day. Tending to a fire nearby, Fred Jones looked up and said "Gosh Velma, it sure was nice of your Uncle to pay for bringing us all down here." "Like yeah!" Shaggy agreed, "What could be better than a tropical vacation getaway? Especially since it gets us away from mysteries!" "Um, yeah..." Velma answered nervously. "Okay gang! Fire's hot and ready!" Freddy called out. Everyone gathered around, using sticks to roast hot dogs or marshmallows. "Ah gotta admit, this is a nice way 't spend the day." Apple Bloom agreed, her fellow Crusaders nodding. Seated in between Shaggy and Scootaloo, Scooby was busily stacking a sandwich consisting of roasted hot dogs, marshmallows, sauerkraut, and chocolate sauce. "That's... Disgusting Scooby." Scootaloo chuckled. "Disgusting," Scooby agreed, "Rut delicious." He swallowed the tall sandwich in a single bite. The a funny look crossed his face. The dog felt something poking him in the back. He looked around, noting that everyone else in the group was in plain sight, and said "Rut then who is poking me from rehind?" Curious, the dog looked over his shoulder, and leapt high into the air with a cry of "YOOOWWW!!!!" Seeing what had spooked the dog, everyone else jumped to their feet as well. Standing calmly in place was an enormous crab. Velma laughed. "Oh, it's just a Coconut Robber Crab Scooby." "Roconut Robber Rrab?" "They're what my uncle came here to study." Velma explained. "He's looking into how the crabs communicate with each other through pheromones, published several articles on it actually. In any case, Coconut Robber Crabs are the largest species of land-dwelling arthropods on earth, with adults weighing in at over thirty pounds. Coconuts are their favorite food, so much so that if they can't find any on the ground they'll actually climb all the way to the top of the trees to snip fresh ones loose with their claws." "Are they... ...Dangerous?" Sweetie Belle asked. Velma shook her head. "Not usually. Though, every once in awhile, one of them will claim a particular coconut tree as it's own and attack anyone or anything who gets too close to it." "Weird." Daphne said. "So what about the 'robber' part?" "Like a lot of creatures, these guys are attracted to bright shiny objects. They're well known for breaking into people's homes and making off with keys, jewelry, silverware... anything they can get their claws on really." Scootaloo laughed. "Wow! So, imagine putting that together with what you said before... Some poor sap ends up running for his life because he got a little too close to the wrong tree and now a ticked-off thirty pound crab with a big knife in each claw is chasing him!" Everyone stared at the filly. Apple Bloom cuffed her upside the head. "Girl, what is wrong with you?" "Hay it could happen!" "Um... You guys?" Sweetie Belle whispered. "Yeah Belle?" "You might wanna look behind us..." Turning, everyone saw what the unicorn had been the first to notice: While their attention was focused on the sole crab before them, several dozen more had crept up from behind. The creatures stood, staring at the group. "Like wow! It's a crab convention!" "Reah! And I don't like it." Scooby grumbled. As the Great Dane backed away from the crabs, as Daphne started to suggest he was overreacting, the mass of crustaceans suddenly charged. "Hey! My rollar!" Scooby shouted as one of them made off with his collar and tags. "My Scooter!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she watched a quartet of crabs lift and carry away it away. "My glasses!" Velma yelled as a crab scuttled away with them. Having nabbed everything of value the mass of Robber Crabs, living up to their name in full, scurried away with their prizes, across the beach, then up and over a hill. The gang gave chase, shouting for the creatures to drop the booty, but to no avail. Then, as they neared the hill, a loud deep voice boomed out, saying "Yes! Yes my children! Bring tribute to your king!" From behind the hill rose the biggest crab anyone had ever seen, bigger than the Mystery Machine, looming over them atop the hill. "Ruh-Roh!" "Zoinks!" Jeepers!" "Jinkies!" "Booooooy Howdy!!!" At this last there was utter silence as everyone, Dog, teens, fillies, even the monster, stared in shock at the speaker. Realizing why they were staring at her, Apple Bloom simply shrugged and said "Y'all heard me. That's mah catchphrase an' ahm stickin' to it." The ginormous crab stood over the gang for another moment, then turned and stomped away accompanied by it's entourage. "Aren't we going after it?" Daphne asked. "Like it's a crab the size of a Winnebago! You don't go after stuff like that!" "Yeah, I'm with Shaggy on this one." Scootaloo agreed. "Right Velma?" Looking embarrassed, Velma said "Um, yeah.. ...I've got something to admit to you guys..." XXXXX "So lemme get this straight..." Shaggy said as they rode in the Mystery Machine towards Velma's Uncle's home, "The real reason your uncle invited us here is because he knows we solve mysteries and hoped we could deal with the crab thing?" "Exactly." Velma answered as she put on her spare glasses. "Velma, A'hm sorry 't say it, but I agree with Shaggy... That was downright underhooved." "I know I know!! But Uncle Clyde needed help and you know we never woulda gotten Shaggy and Scooby on the plane if they'd known!" "Well we're here now." Freddy said, "And we've got a mystery to solve! So let's talk to Clyde and see what he can tell us." A short drive later, they pulled into a narrow gravel driveway. The house ahead had a roof covered in solar panels and there were satellite dishes and other more arcane instruments bristling from every nook and cranny. Even the windows were covered up with a variety of scientific sensors. "Okay, yeah, this is exactly what I would expect a relative of Velma's home to look like." Scootaloo chuckled, and the other Crusaders laughed along with her. "Hardy-har-har." Velma groused. As they piled out of the van, the front door opened. The man who appeared was short, pudgy, balding, wearing glasses even thicker than Velma's and a thick brushy beard. "Velma!" He exclaimed, holding his arms out wide. "Uncle Clyde!" Uncle and niece embraced as the others approached more slowly. "Thank you all for coming." Clyde said as he released Velma. "Not at all." Freddy answered, "So what can you tell us about the crab monster?" "Well... This island was originally colonized thousands of years ago by a branch of Polynesian Seafarers. In fact, it's their descendants who still make up the bulk of our permanent population. In any case, they have a myth about 'Papaka Atua,' King and God of the Coconut Crabs. Much like the creature that's been appearing lately Papaka Atua was said to be truly enormous, with the power to guide crabs to do whatever he wanted them to do." "Like stealing everything that's not bolted down?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Actually no... Unlike regular Robber Crabs there's nothing in any of the legends about the Crab King stealing anything." "Interesting..." Freddy mused. "Is there anyone on the island who would have enough money to create a giant crab king costume, but also the motivation to then use it to steal from people?" "Maybe... For one thing there's Arthur Darlington, who owns the South Seas Casino. He's rich, sure, but in trouble since the newer Regis Royal Casino opened next door to him. Then there's Chieftain Morr. He's the current head of the Polynesian descendants and has issues with tourism ruining the island. I can just see him maybe trying to scare everyone away." "Sounds like we have a couple of people to talk to." Daphne said. "Right, and we should probably also sneak someone into this Darlington's office when he's not there to snoop around." Velma said. "We can do that!" Scootaloo said. "We'll slip in through the ductwork while you guys keep him busy somewhere else." Freddy nodded. "That's not bad. Okay, Velma you take Shaggy and Scooby and speak with the Chieftain. Daphne and I will find the Casino owner and, hopefully, get him to talk to us somewhere other than his office while the fillies look around in there..." XXXXX Fred and Daphne strolled down the island's main drag, heading towards the South Seas Casino. They were passing in front of it's newer competition, the Regis Royal, and looking up at the two buildings which were right next to each other it was abundantly clear why the older facility was having difficulty competing: The new casino was larger, cleaner, and unlike the original covered in so much bright pulsing neon that it probably accounted for well over ninety percent of the island's entire electrical consumption. Approaching the South Seas, they heard the sounds of an argument and picked up their pace. Before the front doors of the South Seas, they found a crowd standing around watching as two men angrily shouted at each other. "What's going on?" Daphne asked one of the onlookers. "Battlin' casino owners." The man replied. "Arthur Darlington from South Seas on the left, Elias Vanderberg from Regis Royal on the right. They've been fighting like this every time they see each other for weeks now." "Really?" Daphne turned her attention back to the argument. Darlington was a tall thin man, perhaps fifty, with thick blonde hair streaked with just the slightest touch of grey and a stately demeanor. Vanderberg was shorter, younger, but already balding, with a considerable paunch around his middle. Both men wore suits, high-quality custom tailored threads worth thousands of dollars. "For the last time no!" Darlington shouted. "I'm not selling out!" "It's for your own good my friend." Vanderberg answered, "I'm taking all the business anyway. You'll be run out of business inside of a year." "We'll see about that." "We sure will... Because, you know, I know what you're thinking. And it's not going to work. Oh, sure, it might have before the crab king showed up. But with him running all the tourists away it won't be long now before there's no one left." "Crab King." Darlington snorted. "I'll take care of that, too, don't you worry!" He turned and stormed off into his casino. Vanderberg stood staring for a moment before turning and stomping away down the street. "Come on Daphne, let's catch Mister Darlington before he gets to his office." Freddy said. They ran across the street and in through the South Seas' front doors, shouting for the man to wait. "What's this about?" Darlington asked with a sigh. Daphne said "We're sorry to bother you sir, especially after what just happened outside. But, we're investigating the Crab King mystery and we'd like to ask you a few questions." "Of course you would." Darlington sighed again. "Let me guess: My name was suggested as being responsible because my casino is losing money. Right?" "Well... Yeah." Freddy admitted. "And it's a good point. Can you account for your whereabouts earlier today when the Crab King robbed us and our friends?" "You're asking if I have an alibi? No, I don't." Darlington admitted. "Until just a few minutes ago I was in my office all day, with no one else around to confirm it." He grinned. "But... Tell me something, the whole reason I'm a suspect is because of the financial situation right?" "Right." "Come with me then, I wanna show you something." Before they could stop him, Darlington strode away, clearly heading for his office. Concerned for the Crusaders, who by now should have been investigating said office, Fred and Daphne tried to stop him. But it was all to no avail. In less then three minutes they reached the office door. Darlington swiped his I.D. badge and threw it open. To the surprise of both Fred and Daphne, the fillies were nowhere to be seen. Arthur Darlington didn't notice the sigh of relief they both gave as they saw the office was deserted. He went straight to his desk, picked up a particular manila folder, and rifled through it's contents for a moment before producing a single sheet of paper. "Here, take a look." He said, passing the sheet to the teens. "These are tourism number predictions for the island for the next five years. Yes, the Regis Royal is taking most of my business for now... But it's also driving an influx of new tourism so large that even with most of them going there, my own profits should still be up at least twenty-five percent in the next year, and up over thirty-five percent in five years." "So you're not really in any financial trouble..." Daphne mused. "Not at all." Darlington confirmed. "I'm down a little bit right now... That'll turn around in a few months. In the long run, the Regis' 'competition' is the best thing that's happened to me in years!" He laughed. "So why would I want to ruin that with a thieving crab god thing?" "I guess you wouldn't." Freddy said. "But... What was that argument about then?" "Darned if I know... For weeks now Elias has been pestering me to sell the South Seas to him, so he can tear it down and have a monopoly on the island's entertainment industry... Which is just stupid, he's benefiting from the current arrangement too and he knows it. It doesn't make any sense to me." "Weird..." Freddy nodded. "Well, thank you for your time sir. I guess we need to look somewhere else..." XXXXX While Freddy and Daphne were watching the two casino owners argument on the street, the Crusaders had sneaked through the ventilation shafts, seeking Arthur Darlington's office. As is their wont, though, the trio had gotten lost, taken the metaphorical 'wrong turn at Albuquerque,' and somehow ended up instead in an entirely different office. "Okay girls, let's look around for clues." Scootaloo said. As they searched, they talked: "So girls, I was thinking... We're gonna end up setting a trap for the Crab King right?" Apple Bloom asked. "Probably." Scootaloo confirmed. "I mean, that's how it always goes." "Right. So, why don't we come up with our own idea for a trap instead of letting Fred do it all the time?" "Oh! I like that!" Sweetie Belle cheered. "Okay, so, first step, we get ahold of one of the regular crabs by having an adult pegasus fly in and pick one up-" "Whoa whoa whoa!" Scootaloo interrupted. "A Pegasus Pony carry a coconut crab!?" "She could grip it by the shell." Sweetie said. Scootaloo shook her head. "It's not about where she grips it Sweetie, it's about weight ratios! Without a unicorn mage to cast a weight-lowering spell there's no way a forty pound Pegasus Pony could carry a thirty pound coconut crab!" "Well it don't matter since there ain't no adult Pegasai around here anyway." Apple Bloom said. "Look, in order to reach rainboom velocity Rainbow Dash needs to beat her wings forty-three times every second right?" "I have no idea." "Am I right!?" "I don't know!" "Oh! It could be carried by a Gryphon!" Sweetie Belle suddenly realized. Scootaloo thought that over for a moment. "Okay, yeah, a Gryphon maybe, but not a Pegasus Pony that's my point." "She may have a point there Sweetie." Apple Bloom said. "Of course, there aren't any Gryphons on Earth either... So they couldn't carry a coconut crab for us anyway." "Hay wait! Supposing two Pegasus Ponies carry the crab together!" Sweetie Belle hopped up and down cheering her idea. "Well... They'd have to have it on a line or something..." "They could use a strand of creeper!" "What!? Held under their dorsal guidance feathers?" Scootaloo snorted derisively. Sweetie Belle cocked her head. "I... Have no idea what those are. But why not?" Before Scootaloo could answer, Apple Bloom shouted "Hey girls! Look at this!" Joining her, the unicorn and pegasus saw an eight by ten color photograph of a man with greying blonde hair. It was full of holes where darts had been thrown at it, and one dart remained lodged in the photo's forehead. "Wow." Sweetie Belle said. "Whoever this guy is, someone really doesn't like him." "Gotta be a clue." Scootaloo agreed. "Let's take it with us." Standing on each others backs, they stacked up to reach high enough for Sweetie Belle, on top, to pull the photo from the wall. As she did so, she tumbled, end over end, falling to and rolling across the floor, slamming up against a closed closet door. As she stood and shook herself off, the door swung open. Inside was not the small closet expected but a large chamber filled with piles of shimmering rocks. "Whoa..." Three fillies spoke in unison. "Clue jackpot!" Scootaloo exclaimed, pumping a hoof in the air. "Let's take one with us." Sweetie Belle said, levitating a small chunk with her magic. "Cool." Scootaloo said. "So, have we missed anything else?" All three of the fillies looked around the room with interest. After a moment, Apple Bloom's eyes settled on something. "Look at this..." She jumped up onto the desk and picked up the name plate. "Didn't they say the guy's name was Arthur somethin' or other?" "We're in the wrong office!?" "Nah, we got the right one." Bloom said pointing to the rock filled chamber beyond. "Even if it ain't the one we thought we wanted." "Good. So let's get out of here." Scootaloo said. She started to move back towards the ventilation ducts, but then the front door opened and a woman's voice shouted "Hey! What are you doing in here!?" "Leg it!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, and the Crusaders ran out the open door, past the secretary, and out into the casino... XXXXX "Like Velma do we have to do this?" Shaggy asked as he stood with her and Scooby on the front porch of Chieftain Morr,s home. "Shaggy you know we do. He could be responsible for the Crab King!" "Like that's my point!" "Reah!" Shaking her head, Velma knocked. It was only a few moments before the door opened. Morr proved to be a large, muscular man with well groomed black hair that extended not quite to his shoulders, dressed in khaki slacks and a Hawaiian shirt with coconut shell buttons. Looking over the trio, he grumbled "This again." "Sir?" Velma asked. "Tourists!" Morr exclaimed. "Coming to my island, trampling about everywhere! Treating our culture like some theme park attraction! 'And, oh yes, let's be sure to get a look at the tribal king guy too, right?' You all make me sick." "Like you've got us all wrong man!" "We're not really tourists sir." Velma said. "We're just here to help out my Uncle Clyde-" At the mention of Clyde's name, Morr's entire attitude changed. "Clyde? Clyde Dinkley? You must be Velma then..." "Well yes, you've heard of me?" "Your Uncle is different. Respectful. So I respect him in turn. Please, come in." Morr led them into his home, which was small but well maintained and cozy, decorated in a traditional Polynesian motif. "How can I help you?" "Rrab King!" Scooby said. Eyes narrowed, Morr said "Whatever that... thing... running around out there is, it is not Papaka Atua." "You seem awfully certain." Velma said. "Of course. As Chieftain, it is a part of my job to maintain the old legends. They say, clearly, that Papaka Atua was no thief. That indeed he tried to teach his crab subjects better. They are also clear that he did not speak in the speech of men, not Polynesian and certainly not English." Morr snorted. "And quite aside from all of that, I highly doubt the real Papaka Atua would give off the mechanical noises this fake does whenever it moves." "Like we didn't hear anything like that." Shaggy said. "I was very close, once last week. The sounds were unmistakable." "Well at least that does confirm it's a fake." Velma mused. "Probably some guy in a custom-built exosuit." "Yes. And now let us be candid with each other... You suspect that I am the 'guy in the suit.'" "Given how you feel about tourism, it seemed possible." Velma admitted. "Fair enough. But I would never dishonor the traditions of my people by impersonating Papaka Atua, or any of our gods." "Like you know, I think I believe you." Shaggy said. "Yeah! Re too." Scooby agreed. "I thank you for that. So, what will you do next?" "We've got friends looking into our other suspect. We'll figure out what this is about sooner or later, and when we do we'll catch the culprit and put a stop to it..." XXXXX "So," Freddy said to Daphne as they left the South Seas Casino, "I wonder what happened to the ponies?" "They must've gotten lost." Daphne mused. "Oh, I hope they're okay." "I'm sure they're fine." Freddy said. "So what did you think of-" He was cut off by a commotion of shouting voices. Pursued by an angry secretary who stopped when she reached the front door, the Crusaders appeared from out of the Regis Royal. "Didn't we make sure they went in the right building?" Daphne asked. "Sure did." Freddy confirmed. "So how...?" The fillies caught sight of Fred and Daphne and angled to run straight for them. "We found clues!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed as they arrived. "That's great girls, but how-" Freddy was interrupted again as a loud booming voice triggered panic in the crowds of tourists. "You found nothing equines!" The Crab King rumbled as it scuttled into view from around the far corner of the Regis. "Seize them!" Coconut Crabs, hundreds of them, surged forward from around their king, heading right for Fred, Daphne, and the Crusaders. "Run!" Freddy exclaimed. Running was easier said than done, given the crowds of tourists also trying to run in a hundred different directions. Fortunately, it slowed down the crabs too, as they had to climb and scurry over all the people. Freddy and Daphne were separated, and Sweetie Belle got split from the other Crusaders. And through it all, the crabs and the king were coming. Daphne burst free of the crowds onto the boardwalk. "Freddy!? Girls!?" She called out. After a moment, Sweetie popped out of the crowd next to her, a crab clinging tenaciously to her tail. "Gah! Let go!! Let go you little jerk!!" The unicorn complained, but the crab wasn't listening. "Hang on Sweetie Belle, I'll try to help!" Daphne tried to pry the crab's claws open, but it's grip was firm. Remembering what Velma had said about the crabs earlier, she said "Oh, I wish I didn't have to do this..." then pulled a ring from her finger and dangled it in front of the crab's eyes. Seeing the bright light shining off of the gem, it immediately let go of Sweetie and grabbed for the ring. Daphne threw the ring towards the beach, and the crab followed. "Thanks Daphne." Sweetie Belle said, getting back to her hooves." "It's cool. But let's move before more of them catch up." "Right." Meanwhile, Freddy had detoured down a nearby alley. The good news was, none of the crabs had followed yet. The bad news was, it was a dead-end so when they did he would be in trouble. He looked around hoping to find something to use, but found only the ladder of a fire escape dangling just out of reach overhead. A scuttling sound drew his attention. Crabs had arrived, dozens of them. They charged, and Freddy had an idea. Nimbly jumping atop their shells, he gained enough reach to grab the ladder and start climbing. When he reached the first landing, Freddy fell back and against the wall to rest. "*Whew!* Wouldn't wanna have to do that again." He sighed. Then a shadow fell overhead, blocking out the sun. Freddy looked up in disbelief to see the Crab King straddling the roofs of the building his fire escape was on, and the next one over. "You've gotta be kidding me!" He exclaimed. "Papaka Atua never 'kids.'" The Crab King said. A large claw lifted up, and Freddy threw open the nearest window and fled into the building as the claw slammed down destroying the escape moments later... "Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo shouted. "Sweetie where are ya!?" "Where could she be?" Apple Bloom shook her head. "Dunno. Best we can do is hope she gets out and run for it ourselves too." "But-" "But nothin'! Run!" Before Scootaloo could respond, a crab clambered over the heads of the nearest people and jumped onto her back. "Scoots! Don't. Move." Apple Bloom yelled, then she turned around and bucked the creature off of the pegasus' back. "Nice kick!" Scootaloo cheered. "Thank ya' kindly. Now let's-" Bloom stopped in mid-sentence as a dozen more crabs arrived. Backing away slowly, pressed against each other side by side, the fillies weren't sure what to do. Their salvation came in the form of a honking van horn and the arrival of the Mystery Machine, Shaggy behind the wheel. Velma threw open the passenger side door, shouting for them to get in. As they both jumped into the van, Shaggy accelerated away hard and Scooby asked "What happened Rootaroo?" "That happened!" Scoots exclaimed, pointing into the rear view mirror, where the Crab King was visible climbing down off of the buildings it had scaled. "Where are the others!?" Velma asked. "We got split up." Apple Bloom replied. "Not seen Sweetie, Fred, or Daphne since the King showed up!" Shaggy swerved left and right, back and forth, dodging pedestrians, then took a right when he got to the boardwalk. "Like look! Here's Daphne now! Sweetie Belle too!" "Am I glad to see you guys!" Daphne said as she climbed aboard. "Where's Freddy?" "He's not with you?" "Oh no!" Scooby whined, "The Rrab King must've rot him!" "Oh don't get ahead of yourself Scooby." Velma said, "Let's try to call him first..." Fred was still exploring the building he had hidden inside when his phone rang. "Velma? You won't believe what's going on here! What? Oh, you're back already... They're all with you? Good. Listen, I'm looking for a way out of this place now. Yeah. Yeah, I'll meet you at your Uncle's once I get clear..." XXXXX An hour later, everyone was gathered together in Clyde Dinkley's home. "So, it looks like it may not be Arthur Darlington." Daphne was explaining, "He's actually expecting an increase in his revenues soon." "So there goes his motive." Velma said. "Like yeah, but Chieftain Morr doesn't seem guilty either." Shaggy said. "So we're back at square one..." Velma mused. "I dunno. We found some clues." Scootaloo said. Daphne said "Scoots, you girls didn't even go into the right casino... We saw you coming out of the Regis." "We went the wrong way sure, but we ended up in the right place." Apple Bloom argued. "Take a look!" "Right, first there's this!" Scootaloo held up the photograph they had found. "That's Mister Darlington." Freddy said. "But why is it full of holes?" Daphne asked. "'Cause it was bein' used as a dartboard." Apple Bloom explained. Scootaloo said "And then 'Bloom found this, which is how we knew we were in the wrong office!" She produced the name plate. Taking it, reading the name engraved on the surface, Freddy said "Okay, I'm not too surprised... But why would he want to do it? It makes no sense." "One more clue!" Sweetie Belle cheered. She levitated the chunk of metal found in the office closet into view. "Oh my..." Daphne whispered. "Is rhat...?" Scooby asked. "It sure is." Velma answered. "Girls, was there a lot of this?" "Tons of it." Scootaloo answered. Velma and Freddy looked each other in the eyes. "It all makes sense now." Velma said. "Yep... So let's build us a Crab King trap!" Freddy cheered... XXXXX A short time later, everything was ready. The gang was gathered near an old dry quarry with the island's junkyard next door. "Okay gang, here's how the plan will work:" Freddy explained. "Crusaders, you'll take the rock and use it to lure the Crab King into chasing you. When he does, you'll lead him back here, where he'll see Shaggy and Scooby dressed as miners digging for more of the stones. Ideally, the Crab King will chase them then, while the regular crabs continue after the three of you." "Like ideally he says! Freddy there's nothing ideal about a four ton crab chasing you!" Shaggy laughed nervously. "Yeah!" Scooby agreed. Apple Bloom asked "That's all well an' good, but how will we get away from the crabs!?" Velma pointed to a metal drainage pipe wide enough for the fillies to fit through. "Run in there. It dead ends horizontally, but there's a vertical pipe at the end. I'll be waiting at the top, to use the winch we've set up to pull you out, leaving the crabs below." "Meanwhile," Freddy continued, "Shaggy and Scooby will lead the Crab King into the junkyard. Now listen up you two, this is very important: When you get to the yellow line we've drawn across the path, jump to either side. From that point forward, the path is covered in ball bearings. The Crab King will run onto them, lose it's footing, and tumble directly into the car crusher." Daphne said "That's where Freddy and I will be waiting. We'll turn it on just long enough to pin the King's legs, trapping him." "Sounds good." Scootaloo said. Picking up the stone with her magic, Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yeah! Let's do it!" XXXXX "So how'r we supposed 't find the thing?" Apple Bloom asked as the Crusaders trotted side by side. "I dunno... As big as it is, I'd think it'd really stick out." Sweetie Belle mused. "I mean, how do you miss a crab the size of a house?" "Beat's me, But ah sure don't see 'em." Scootaloo said "We gotta draw him in... Follow my lead..." Speaking as loudly as she could, Scootaloo said "Gosh Sweetie Belle! That sure is a pretty rock you found!" "Eeyup, all shiny an' all!" Apple Bloom shouted just as loud. "Why thank you girls!" Sweetie yelled, "It is awfully cool, isn't it?" "And now we wait." Scootaloo said. And wait they did, for several minutes, with no sign of the Crab King. In time, though, Scootaloo noticed that they were standing in a shadow. "Um... Girls?" "Yeah Scoots?" "It's... Right behind us isn't it?" The trio screamed and galloped away as fast as their legs could take them, Crab King and countless Coconut Crabs close on their tails. The King's unexpected arrival from behind forced them to make a wide curve before they were able to head towards where Shaggy and Scooby were waiting, but finally they got onto the correct heading and blew past the Beatnik and his Dog. The first part of the plan worked: The Crab King did indeed notice Shaggy and Scooby and turn to chase them, while the rest of the crabs continued after the ponies. The Crusaders reached the pipe and barrelled in, Scootaloo shouting "Velma! Get ready!" Above, Velma heard and moved to grab the winch when, out of nowhere, a lone Coconut Crab appeared, scrambled up her back, and for the second time in as many days made off with her glasses. "I can't see!!" Velma exclaimed, grabbing around for the winch but missing it by a mile. Below, the fillies found themselves pressed in ever tighter by the tremendous mass of crabs. Meanwhile, Shaggy and Scooby ran for the junkyard and the next phase of the trap. In fairness to them, considering how often they're the ones who screw things up, what happened next was not their fault: As soon as they got to the yellow line Freddy had warned them of, Shaggy jumped to the left and Scooby to the right. They kept running alongside the path, and a good thing because the Crab King didn't fall for it. It continued chasing them, with it's legs to either side of the ball bearing trap. "Oh no!" Freddy exclaimed, "It didn't work!" Scooby looked over his shoulder and saw what the King was doing. Eyes narrowed, he complained "Alright, Rhat's cheating!" Then ran as the King scuttled ever closer. Back at the quarry, more and more crabs pressed into the drainage pipe, building the pressure higher and higher. Something had to give. And give it did, as the Crusaders were ejected from the vertical pipe like darts from a blowgun, screaming as they flew high into the air, peaked, and came back down. Landing directly on top of the Crab King. "Grr!!! Get off! Get off!!" The King shouted, but it's arms were too short to reach it's back. It tried bucking violently back and forth, but that only encouraged the fillies to hang on even tighter. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!!! CRAB RIDER RODEO!!! YAY!!!" Given the distraction, it was only a matter of time before the Crab King put a foot down wrong, right onto the ball bearing trap. As it stumbled back towards the car crusher, Daphne shouted "Girls! Jump off!" And slammed her hand down on the power button as they leapt to safety, Shaggy catching Bloom and Sweetie, Scooby catching Scootaloo. The Crab King tried to get free, but it was well and truly stuck, it's legs reduced to mangled metal when Daphne stopped the crusher before the body was squashed too... XXXXX It took an hour to round up everyone involved (Darlington, Morr, Clyde, and the island Sheriff) as well as to find and corner the crab that had taken Velma's glasses. Freddy and Scooby stood guard over the King while everyone else was taking care of these things. But finally everyone was together and ready. "I can't believe you kids managed to catch the Crab King." The Sheriff said. Eyeing the damaged mechanical legs, he added "Looks like you were right Chief. It's a fake." "Of course it is." Morr nodded. "But who is inside?" "There's really only one possible suspect." Velma said, "But let's make sure." Freddy nodded. "Right! Let's see who the man behind the exoskeleton really is!" With Shaggy's help, he removed the top panel of the crab's body, revealing... "Elias Vanderberg." The whole gang said together. Arthur Darlington was confused. "But... Why!? I mean, this makes even less sense than the whole 'trying to buy me out' deal." "Actually, those two things are connected." Scootaloo said. Velma said "Exactly. When Freddy and Daphne were talking to you sir, the ponies tried to sneak into your office to look for clues. But they got lost and... somehow... ended up in the wrong building, in Mister Vanderberg's office." "And while we were there, we found a whole lot of these!" Sweetie Belle levitated the stone into view. "Platinum Ore." Daphne said. "There must be billions of dollars worth somewhere on this island." "So... Elias found the ore deposits somehow... And decided to scare everyone off so it would all be his..." Darlington said. "I see it." Cheiftain Morr said "And, knowing about the legends of Papaka Atua, he decided it was the perfect terror to drive people away. But... How did he control the Coconut Crabs?" "Pheremones." Velma said. "He must have read Uncle Clyde's papers and ran with it." "And I would've gotten away with it!" Elias swore, "If it weren't for you snooping ponies, and your dog!" "Yeah! Re too!" Elias and the Sheriff ran screaming from the talking dog. Everyone else face-palmed or face-hooved...