Point Pleasant, West Virginia. May, 2020. it was just past nine in the evening, on a warm spring day. A few miles outside of the town itself, lay an area that had been used by the army as a weapons depot during the second world war but was, today, abandoned for decades. It was known to the locals as the 'TNT Area' and had been, for decades, a popular lover's lane for the town's teenagers.
And so we find a car parked near one of the area's many dome shaped explosives holding structures, and seated on the dome itself a young couple. Billy Bob Roberts, eighteen, was the high school's football hero, a sturdy, heavily built lad with blonde hair in a buzzcut. His girlfriend, Peggy Sue Lee, was of course the head cheerleader. They sat, he on the right and she on the left, and to Billy's dismay Peggy seemed more concerned about the environs than him.
"Come on Pegs!" Billy exclaimed, "I thought you'd wanna... Y' know..."
"Oh I did Billy, but this place is just so creepy." Peggy answered.
Billy laughed. "Oh come on, you can't really believe all those dumb stories."
"Not really... But we've got other things to be scared of too you know. We're not even supposed to be this close to each other right now!"
"Like I'd get you sick." Billy said, and leaned in to kiss the girl. Peggy returned his affections at first, but after a few moments pulled back suddenly.
"Did you hear that!!?" She whispered.
"Didn't hear a thing." Billy replied, and leaned towards Peggy again. But before he could kiss her, the boy became aware of movement, both behind and above him. He looked up. And up. And up. Into a pair of large eyes, glowing a bright red.
Both teens screamed and ran for Billy's car, the eye's owner following close behind. Luckily, Billy had left the windows down and the keys in the ignition. They dived through the open windows, Billy turning the key even as he pulled himself upright in the driver's seat and slamming the pedal to the floor, racing away. The eyes receded behind them, but then there was a sound like something snapping open, and the eyes rose up, taking flight and following faster.
"It's gaining on us Billy!" Peggy screamed.
"Just hang on! I'll get us out of this!" Billy said, but then there was a new sound, the sound of something heavy landing on the roof of the car, and two spots directly above the couple's heads bowed down from the weight. Then they were both screaming again...
XXXXX
While Billy and Peggy were beginning to regret their decisions, Mystery Machine was pulling into Point Pleasant itself, on the opposite side of town. "Gosh Shaggy," Daphne said, "It sure is nice of your uncle to lend us his cabin. It'll be a great place to wait out this whole covid thing."
"Like yeah!" Shaggy agreed. "It's out of the way, but close enough to this little town that we'll be able to get food and supplies when we need them."
"You mean we'll go get the supplies." Apple Bloom said.
"Since Velma says we can't get the disease thing, or even carry it!" Sweetie Belle agreed.
'We appreciate that girls." Daphne smiled.
Shaggy said "Like, I just hope there's still a store open this late. We'll need some stuff before we get there."
"Don't worry Shaggy. I'm sure we'll find something. In fact, here's the local police station. Why don't we ask here if there's anyplace we can shop?" Freddy said from the driver's seat.
Freddy pulled the van into the closest open parking space, and Scootaloo was the first one out the door, followed by her fellow Crusaders. "We'll go in and ask!" She said. But before the trio could do so, a police cruiser pulled up behind the van, and a deputy got out. His uniform was deep blue, and he wore a namebadge that read 'Hollister.'
"You kids from out of town?"
"Yes officer." Freddy said. "is there a problem?"
The deputy gave everyone the entire speech about how they needed to be staying away from large groups, and seemed to relax when Shaggy explained that they were in fact on thier way to do just that. "All right then. Sorry to be pushy, it's just, Sheriff Tyler would have my head if I didn't. He's a good guy, normally, but most folks around here aren't paying much attention to the quarantine rules and people higher up are coming down on him hard to enforce things."
"We just need to know where we can buy some groceries." Scootaloo said.
"Yeah! Roceries!" Scooby agreed.
Deputy Hollister startled slightly at the talking pony, and even more so at the talking dog. 'Um... Right. Well, I'm sorry kids but with emergency hours the local stores are already closed til morning. Maybe you could-" He was interrupted by a sound of screeching tires, and then the sight of Billy's badly damaged car racing directly towards the police station.
"What is that about!?" Velma wondered.
Billy swerved to a stop directly next to the deputy's cruiser, and both he and Peggy leapt from the car, shouting for help. "He's back!" Billy screamed.
Suspecting alcohol, but also recognizing Billy from the football team, the deputy simply asked "What's going on here kids? Who's back?"
"The Mothman!" Both teens exclaimed.
"M M M Mothman!?" Scooby shivered in fear.
"Hold on, who or what is a Mothman!?" Scootaloo demanded.
"It sounds like a lame superhero." Velma mused.
"Oh I wish!" Peggy said.
The deputy explained, "The Mothman is a local monster story from the 1960's."
"Monster!? All right! We've got a mystery!" Scootaloo cheered.
"Right." Freddy agreed, pointedly ignoring Shaggy and Scooby's fearful whimpering. "Okay gang, here's what we'll do-"
He was interrupted by Hollister who said, "What you kids will do is go up to your friend's cabin where you're properly distanced from everyone else and stay there."
"Oh. Right. Of course officer." Freddy replied.
The deputy gave him a suspicious look, then just shook his head. "Good. Okay Billy, Peggy, come with me I'll fill out a report." The couple followed him into the police station.
"Like Freddy please tell me, just this once, we'll do as we're told." Shaggy pleaded.
"Reah!" Scooby agreed.
"Sorry Shaggy, but a mystery calls and we must answer." Velma said. "So what's the plan Freddy?"
Everyone huddled together and Freddy began, "All right. Apple Bloom and I will take a closer look at the roof of Billy's car, see if there are any clues. Daphne, Velma, I want the two of you to go online and research this so called 'Mothman.' Shaggy, Scooby, you two head out to the TNT Area and search for more clues."
"What about us?" Scootaloo asked, motioning to Sweetie Belle.
"You two have a very important job. Since ponies can't get covid, I need you to go around town and talk to anyone willing to. See if anyone else has had any run-ins with our monster, and keep a close watch for anyone acting suspiciously."
"You got it Freddy!" Sweetie Belle cheered.
"Okay gang, let's do this!"
XXXXX
Daphne and Velma quickly discovered that Mystery Machine's internet connection wasn't getting any bars. "Well drats." Velma sighed. "I wonder where there's unsecured wi-fi around here?"
"Let's see if there are any open restaurants." Daphne suggested.
It had seemed like a stretch, given current events in the world, but the two girls needed less than fifteen minutes to find an all-night diner that was still open, and was sporting an impressive number of customers. They found a corner booth, as far from the other patrons as possible, and went online after ordering coffee from a waitress named 'Flo' and getting the wifi password. When Velma typed in 'Mothman' the first result was a Wikipedia article, and a series of 'artists renderings' of the creature.
"Oh it's horrible!" Daphne said looking at the images.
Velma scoffed. "We've seen worse."
"Well yeah but still." Daphne insisted. "What's the article say?"
Velma clicked on the link. According to the article, the Mothman had first been reported in 1966, and made numerous appearances over the following year. It was said to be a massive humanoid, covered in grey fur or feathers, with ten foot long wings and glowing red eyes the size of dinner plates. It was also said to be a portent of doom: The sightings in Point Pleasant in the 1960's stopped after the collapse of a bridge that killed forty six people. "And look at this!" Velma said, "Mothman was also reported in Russia in 1999, just before an apartment building collapsed and killed over three hundred."
"Gosh, I hope nothing bad is going to happen to this town again!" Daphne said.
Just then, Flo returned with their coffee. "What are you two up to anyway?" She asked.
"We're just researching the Mothman miss." Velma answered.
Flo's expressing changed from a smile to an angry grimace. "You girls let that go!" She hissed. "Nothing good can come of that cursed beast! He's been gone for over fifty years, let it go!"
"I guess you haven't heard yet ma'am, but the Mothman is back." Daphne said. "Two of your local teens saw it just an hour ago."
"What!?" Flo gasped. "Evil times are upon us! Leave town now, while you still can!" She said, and hurried away, vanishing into the kitchen.
"That was weird." Daphne said. "So now what?"
Velma leaned back and took a sip from her drink. "We've confirmed that there really is a Mothman legend. and also what it's supposed to look like. Now we finish our coffee then report back to Freddy."
"Oh good, this'll give me a chance to check my e mails and news feeds." Daphne said and pulled the laptop in front of her.
While Daphne worked, Velma people watched. She took note of the fact that Flo never returned, and was curious but didn't really think all that much of it. At one point a deputy, not the one they had met before, came in and got into an argument with the staff about the number of people present, then left in a huff. For the most part, the townsfolk seemed normal and no one was arousing her suspicions in any way. Just as she was finishing her cup, she heard Daphne giggle. "What's so funny?"
"This news story!" Daphne said. "It seems that in Indonesia the government is worried about people not distancing, so they came up with the most absurd way to try to make them do it. See, they-" Daphne was interrupted before she could explain by the front door of the diner slamming open as the Mothman barged in. "Jeepers! He is real!" Daphne exclaimed jumping to her feet along with Velma. The rest of the patrons were by now screaming and running, but the Mothman was ignoring most of them, coming straight down the aisle.
"It's coming right for us! Daphne, Run!" Velma yelled.
They fled through the kitchen, with the Mothman close on their heels. Daphne found a back door and they were out into the night. Screams of terrified townsfolk running away in all directions still filled the air, as most people still hadn't looked back to see that the monster wasn't chasing them. They ran down a narrow alley behind the diner, then across the town's main street, horns blaring from traffic, only to fall silent when the drivers saw what they were running from. As in the diner there were more people out than would have been expected, but the Mothman was interested in any of them: It just kept coming after Daphne and Velma.
"Why's he so interested in us!?" Daphne wondered.
"I'm sure I don't know." Velma answered, "But it's clear we're not losing him on our own. Let's head back to the others!" They ran on, searching for the way back to where Freddy and Apple Bloom would be waiting...
XXXXX
And speaking of Freddy and Apple Bloom, as soon as everyone else was gone they had set to work examining Billy's car. Freddy used the passenger side door frame as a step to get higher and look over the roof of the car, Apple Bloom joining in by just jumping onto the rook by way of the trunk. Atop the car were two identically sized indentations, each about fifteen inches long by five inches wide by four inches deep. They were shaped roughly like giant claw prints.
"Boy howdy!" 'Bloom exclaimed, "I dunno if'n it was some 'Mothman' or not, but somethin' sure came after them two!"
Freddy agreed: "No kidding! This is crazy!" He leaning in closer to the prints, marveling at how deep they were. "Does this look like the prints of any creature you're familiar with?"
"Eh, kinda shaped like an Ursa's print, but way too small O' course..." Apple Bloom leaned in closer. "Hay! Take a look at this, there's somethin stuck in one of the claw marks!" Freddy looked, and there was indeed something not metal embedded deep in the point of where one of the claws had been.
"Looks like our Mothman lost a toe nail." Freddy said.
"Clue?" 'Bloom grinned.
"Clue." Freddy agreed. "Let's try to dig it out." He returned to Mystery Machine and dug about in a tool box before returning with pliers and metal cutters.
Before they could start working on extracting the nail, though, a voice called out "What are you doing!?" Freddy and 'Bloom looked to see Billy and Peggy returning. "I'll ask again... What are you doing to my car?"
Freddy rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Gosh I'm sorry... My friends and I solve mysteries like this, and we've found a clue stuck in the roof of your car."
"Clue nothin'! You stay away from my baby! It'll be hard enough fixin' her as it is!"
"Oh come on Billy, you'll have to take the roof off and replace it anyway!" Peggy sighed, "If they think they can put a stop to that horrible thing let 'em!"
"No way no how they're not touchin' my car!" Billy exploded, then angrily jumped into the driver's seat (Apple Bloom seeing what was coming and jumping down,) and sped away leaving Peggy behind.
"Wow. What a jerk!" Apple Bloom said.
Peggy shook her head. "He's... Not normally like that. I think he just got the first real scare of his life and he doesn't know how to handle it... Do you really think you can figure out why the Mothman is back?"
"That's the plan miss." Freddy confirmed, "Though, I'm not sure how yet. It's really too bad Billy drove off with such an important clue."
"Y'all mean this clue?" 'Bloom smirked as she held out the claw in one hoof.
"You got it! But how!?"
"Ahh, he was so focused on you when he was yellin', he didn't even see me cut a square of metal off the roof around the claw. Truth is, I feel a little bad for being under-hooved like that, but like the lady here said he'll have t' replace it anyway so no harm done. And there's one clue in the basket!"
Freddy said "One for sure, maybe two... If Billy really was acting out of character, that might be a clue too."
"Oh, you can't think Billy is involved in it somehow can you?" Peggy asked.
"It's too early to say, I reckon." 'Bloom replied. She passed the claw to Freddy who examined it closely.
"Hmmm... I can't really tell anything from looking. We'll need Velma to give this a once over when she and Daphne get back." Freddy walked to the back of the van, intending to put the tools back, but when he opened the back doors he let out a yell and stumbled back as the Mothman stepped out of the van.
"How'd he fit in there!?" Apple Bloom wondered, eyes wide.
"Worry about that later!" Freddy yelled, "For now let's get out of here!"
Apple Bloom started to run, then stopped as she saw what was coming. "Freddy! We've got a problem over here!"
Freddy looked and went pale at what 'Bloom had already seen...
XXXXX
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle walked side by side through the streets of Point Pleasant as they tried to figure out how to proceed. Finding locals willing to talk to them had proved easy. Locals who actually knew anything, however, were in short supply:
"Mothman!? I don't believe in that nonsense!"
"He's back!? I gotta hide!"
"Don't know nothin' bout the Moth, but I did see Bigfoot and Nessie playin' chess once!"
"Yeah, right, the dog with you talks too."
And so forth and so on...
"I don't get it Sweetie..." Scootaloo complained, "This is supposed to be the big local monster. You'd think someone'd know something!"
"Maybe we're doing this wrong." Sweetie Belle mused.
"How?"
"Well... The Mothman is probably going to turn out to be a guy in a rubber suit right?"
"Right..."
"And guys in rubber suits are usually up to no good, right?"
Scootaloo understood. "Riiiiight.... We shouldn't be talking to everyone, we should just be watching for someone acting suspicious and then following them! Good thinking Sweetie Belle!" She looked about carefully. "So who looks suspicious?"
"What about the guy who said he saw Bighoof?"
"Bigfoot." Scootaloo corrected. "And I think he was just crazy."
"Yeah Probably." Sweetie Belle agreed. She looked all around again, and said "Well what about that guy then?" Pointing to a fiftyish man who was just turning to walk down a dark narrow alleyway.
"Works for me. Let's go!" Scootaloo agreed.
The ponies followed. They trotted quickly to the alley and carefully peaked around the corner. The man was still there, and hadn't noticed them, continuing to walk away down the alley. As slowly as they could, to avoid their hooves making too much noise, they pursued. After perhaps two minutes, the man stopped in front of a door on the back wall of a three story building. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle ducked behind a trash can as he looked in their direction. Luckily, he still didn't seem to have seen them, and pulled out a set of keys, unlocking the door and stepping inside.
"Come on!" Scootaloo whispered, and they crept up to the door, which the man had not locked behind him. From inside, they heard the sound of two voices. The voices weren't raised, but there was certainly a quality that suggested a disagreement. Scootaloo couldn't make out exactly what was being discussed, and after a few moments the voices got quieter, moving away but still talking. The Crusaders slipped through the open door. The first room was empty. "Look for clues." Scootaloo whispered.
The room in which they had found themselves appeared to be a storeroom. There were shelves lining the walls everywhere save for the doors, of which there were three: The outer door, an inner door directly across from the outer door, and the third on a side wall. They spent several minutes searching the storeroom, but finding nothing there Scootaloo tried the inner doors. The first was locked, but the second opened into a small office. There was a large old wooden desk, three chairs, and bookshelves on the walls. Sweetie Belle jumped up on top of the desk while Scootaloo looked over the shelves, and after a moment Sweetie began to giggle. "What?" Scootaloo asked.
Sweetie Belle held up a sheet of paper, clearly a computer print out off of the web. "This story is funny! It sounds like the kind of thing we'd get involved in!"
"Huh?" Scootaloo trotted over, taking the page and beginning to read: "Indonesia: In an attempt to make villagers socially distance, the government has taken to paying volunteers to-" Before the filly could get any further, a door across from the one they had entered through slammed open, and the Mothman barged in.
"Hoof it!" Scootaloo screamed, and the fillies were off with the monster close behind. They ran back outside, and down the alley. At first, while they were still in the alley, the monster had to chase on foot and was falling further and further behind. But when they reached the end of the alley and turned down main street, the creature had room to spread it's wings and took to the air. "Oh come on! Am I the only thing with wings that can't fly!?" Scootaloo complained.
On the wing, Mothman was much faster than on foot, and it was gaining on them. "I'm open to suggestions!" Sweetie Belle said.
Looking ahead, frantically hoping for something they could use, Scootaloo saw an abandoned skateboard. "Take a page from that movie we watched last week!" She said, and jumped on the board. Sweetie Belled jumped on too, and they worked together to skate out into the street, where Scootaloo grabbed the bumper of a passing car.
Luckily, the car was accelerating, and they were soon equaling the Mothman's speed, though it still wasn't giving up. "Now what!?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"We're going the right way to get back to Freddy and Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo answered, "Hopefully he'll give up before we get there!"
"And if he doesn't?"
".... Yeah I got nothin.'"
XXXXX
Shaggy and Scooby approached the TNT Area with trepidation. The old munitions storage facility had been abandoned for the better part of a century, and trees had grown up into a forest, dark boughs overhanging the dome shaped storage buildings that dotted the landscape. And own hooted softly. "Like man o man, Scoob, I've seen creepy and I've seen creepy, but this place is creeeeepy..."
"Reah! Reepy!" The dog agreed.
Shaggy sighed. "Okay, we've gotta do this I guess. But this is a big place! Where do we even start?"
"Ritchen!" Scooby said.
"Oh Scooby there's not gonna be a kitchen out here!" Shaggy thought for a moment. "Then again, this did used to be an army base, they must've had a galley or a mess hall or a PX or something! Come on!"
Exploring the ruins in search of food, praying to not find what they were actually supposed to searching for instead, the duo soon came to a concrete structure with a heavily rusted metal door standing open. Blackness pooled beyond the door, and on the wall above the door were the faded remnants of a long ago removed sign, the letters still visible where the concrete was a lighter shade where they had been: 'Mess Hall.' "In there?" Scooby asked, teeth chattering.
"Afraid so Scoob. They don't make outdoor mess halls." Shaggy answered. He shined his flashlight through the door, relieved when nothing horrible rushed out at them. "Like okay Scoob, let's see if anything got left behind."
"Oh boy oh boy oh boy!" Scooby chanted, licking his lips.
The pair carefully made their way into the long abandoned mess hall. It was, of course, pitch black save for Shaggy's flashlight, but as the beatnik swung the beam about, they saw that very little had been left when the facility was abandoned: There were no tables, no chairs, no flyers hanging from the walls. Numerous doors led further into the underground facility, but Shaggy saw his light reflecting off of something metal through one door and investigated, finding a 1960's era industrial refrigerator, long out of service.
"Fridge! Fridge!" Scooby cheered, only to be disappointed when it was empty. "Aw shucks."
"Like tell me about it." Shaggy agreed, "the cupboards are bare too."
"Rook! Pantry!" Scooby said, pointing to another door. But when they looked, they found that while the pantry was long since devoid of food, it was not empty: A long folding table was set up in the center of the room, and there were clothes and bolts of fabrics and electronic components scattered all over the tabletop.
"Rhaggy? Is this a Rue?"
"Like Scooby ol' pal it's gotta be..." Shaggy agreed. "I mean look, this stuff is all brand new!"
"Re should go tell Freddy and Relma!" Scooby said, eager to get out of the dark scary place.
"Yeah we will, just lemme take a closer look first. You'll know they'll ask if we did." Shaggy began searching through the items atop the table. After a couple of seconds, a red light began to shine from behind him. "Like Scooby turn off the red filtered light, I can't tell what color this stuff is!"
"Not me." Scooby said, holding up his light which was still turned off.
"But like if it's not me... And it's not you..." Shaggy gulped, "Then who..." Man and dog turned, to discover that the red light was coming from the Mothman's glowing eyes. The creature loomed over them, reaching forward with raised wings as if to grab them, and roared. Shaggy's hair stood on end as he exclaimed "Zoinks! It's the Mothman! Run!"
"I am I am!" Scooby said, though for a moment he was just standing in one place, his legs going as fast as they could, until he suddenly seemed to find purchase and was off like a shot. As he went, he bowled over Shaggy who was flipped into the air and came down landing on Scooby's back, riding the Great Dane like a horse as Scooby fled back outside, and bee lining for town as fast as he could go. Neither of them dared to look back, knowing that the monster had to be right there...
XXXXX
What Apple Bloom saw first, that Freddy was now staring at in shock, was a second Mothman approaching from what would have been their escape route. Freddy, 'Bloom, and Peggy backed up against the wall of a nearby building as the monsters approached. Then, with a sudden shout of "Cowabunga!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle arrived, riding on the skateboard they had commandeered, Scootaloo letting go of the car she had been using for speed and hitting an incline just right to catch air, sailing over the head of one of the monsters and landing directly in front of Freddy.
Then with a scream of "Gangway!" Shaggy and Scooby also arrived, Shaggy still riding on Scooby's back, and they were followed mere moments later by Daphne and Velma. Which might have been a good thing, reinforcements and all, were it not of course for the fact that there were now five of the monsters surrounding the gang.
"Jinkies! It's not Mothman, it's Mothmen!" Velma exclaimed.
The Mothmen crept slowly closer. "Like gang I think this may be it!" Shaggy said.
"I'm open for any ideas at all." Velma agreed.
Apple Bloom looked all around for any opportunities to escape. And then she saw it. "Let's all take a page from Shaggy and Scooby's playbook!" She said, "This way!" 'Bloom ran for a nearby doorway the others had overlooked.
"Now what?" Daphne asked once they were all inside.
"Now we've got work t' do, and I mean quick!" 'Bloom answered...
Thirty seconds later, the Mothmen broke down the door and stepped through... Into a softly lit gourmet restaurant. Maitre D Scootaloo greeted them ("Welcome to The Holey Sock!") and clapped her hooves, summoning a quintet of well dressed waiters (Freddy, Shaggy, Daphne, Velma and Scooby) who approached and ushered the monsters into the dining room and shoved them down into chairs. Then Chef Sweetie Belle came to the table. "Ah Monsieur Mothmen! Welcome!" She said in a decent approximation of a French accent, "Might I suggest you start with a Christmas scarf appetizer, followed by a main course of thick wool sweater sprinkled with just enough mothball to make it spicy?"
And even though it would, of course, prove to be men in suits eventually, the Mothmen responded as 'monsters' always do when Shaggy and Scooby pull this kind of con, that is to say, as if they really were monsters, mouths watering at the thought of meals made of clothes as if they were really giant moths. Indeed, they even ate the clothes provided, scarfs and sweaters alike.
The Apple Bloom, posing as the 'Dessert Chef,' came to the table. "All right y'all! You got room for dessert?"
The Mothmen nodded enthusiastically.
"That's great! 'Cause just for today I've whipped up the greatest dish a Mothman could ever hope t' taste! The world's largest ball of yarn, dusted with cinnamon and sugar! You want some?" The five Mothmen were practically jumping in their seats. "All righty then! Gang? Let 'em have it!"
'Bloom then jumped down to the floor out of the way as Freddy and Daphne struck, carrying in a giant yarn ball and then, each holding a different end of the yarn, wrapping the monsters up firmly stuck to their seats. As this happened, the Mothmen suddenly realized they had been tricked and began roaring and struggling mightily to free themselves, and though they were well trapped for now it became clear that they would get free in short order. The gang fled, leaving the creatures behind...
XXXXX
After escaping, the gang escorted a grateful Peggy home, then gathered in what they hoped was an isolated location to compare notes. Freddy and Apple Bloom gave Velma the claw and spoke of Billy's odd behavior, Shaggy and Scooby told of the table loaded with modern supplies, Velma and Daphne discussed both what they found online and also Flo's strange reaction, and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle talked about the suspicious man but didn't mention the print-out Sweetie Belle had found, not considering it a clue.
"So what do you think Velma?" Freddy asked as she examined the claw.
"Interesting... It's not a claw of any animal known to science. But, I suspect the real clue is what's stuck to it." She pointed to the wide back end of the claw, where several strands of a dark blue fabric were sticking to it.
"That's cloth fabric from clothes!" Daphne said.
"Mm-hmm." Velma agreed, "But on the wrong end from where they should have gotten stuck if the Mothman had clawed someone. Curious."
"What about our suspects?" Scootaloo asked, "Billy and the waitress and the weird guy Sweetie and me saw?"
"There's nothing to rule any of them out yet." Freddy said. "Of course we don't know who the man was, but some of us should probably stake out Billy and Flo."
"While I take this claw back to the Mystery Machine and analyze it." Velma agreed.
They made plans for who would keep on an eye on which suspect, but as they started to break up and go to their assignments there was a sudden burst of noise and flash of lights as a police car pulled up, shining a spotlight on them. Two officers got out of the car. One was Deputy Hollister. The other they didn't recognize, though Hollister quickly introduced him as Sheriff Taylor.
"Aren't you kids supposed to be at a cabin by now?" Hollister asked.
"And can your excuses! There's a pandemic on! You need to be isolated!" The Sheriff added.
"We really are sorry Sheriff, and we really are on our way." Daphne lied, "We just need to get some food for the night."
"We've been looking all over town!" Sweetie Belle added.
"Well stop. You won't starve in one night. Get out of here before I arrest the lot of you!" Tyler demanded.
"Like okay, we're going. We just need to get back to our van and we're gone." Shaggy said.
"Reah! Van!" Scooby confirmed.
Tyler stared at the dog for a full minute, then nodded. "Okay, I'll give you one last chance since I don't want to be the jerk. Now get walking. Hollister and I will follow you in the car, both to your van and out of town. And I'd better not see any of you again until the stores open at eight in the morning!"
So the entire gang started marching back towards where they had left Mystery Machine parked, the patrol car following about a hundred feet behind. As they walked, Sweetie Belle said "What a jerk. I can't believe he has a sense of humor."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked.
"You didn't recognize the voice?" Sweetie asked, "The Sheriff was one of the voices we heard arguing in that building!"
"Sweetie are you sure? I mean, really sure?" Daphne asked.
"Positive."
"Rhat about the sense of rumor?" Scooby asked.
"Oh, just this print out I found in what I guess was his office." Sweetie Belle said, holding out the paper.
Velma took the paper and read it, recognizing it as another story on the same events as the story Daphne had found just before the Mothman attacked the diner. Her eyes narrowed as she looked back and forth between the paper and the claw.
Not noticing Velma's behavior, Freddy said "Well this doesn't really change our plan. We'll just have to sneak back into town on foot. What do you think Velma, it shouldn't be too hard to get back in to watch Billy and Flo, right?" When Velma didn't answer, he asked again, and, still getting no answer, "...Velma?"
"Of course..." Velma whispered.
"Of course what?" Apple Bloom wondered.
Velma said "Guys, forget Billy and Flo, there's no need to watch them. I know exactly who the Mothmen are, and why."
"You do!?" Everyone exclaimed.
"Yep. And now all we need is a trap!"
Freddy cheered.
XXXXX
It was two hours later. The Sheriff had made good on his promise to follow them out of town and, in fact, all the way to the cabin. Fortunately, he hadn't stayed for long, allowing the gang to gather the supplies they needed for the trap and make their way back into town on foot. They didn't stay in the town itself, though, but passed all the way through and back out to the TNT Area to lay the trap.
The layout of the trap was a typical Freddy design: The bait team would gather up all five Mothmen and get them to give chase, leading them in. The monsters would be guided underground through the same mess hall door Shaggy and Scooby had found earlier in the night. Once underground, though, they would be confused by a number of minor alterations the gang had made, i.e. closing and opening different doors and using plywood sheets found on site to create a maze that wasn't all that complicated in absolute terms but would be a nightmare in the utter darkness. (The bait team would escape through a hidden hatch just around the first corner.) In their confusion, the plan went, the Mothmen would panic, all go different ways, and end up crashing into each other at a specific point, where Daphne and Velma would be waiting to drop steel chains around them.
There was just one problem: "I don't think I wanna be on the bait team for this one." Scootaloo said.
"But why!?" Freddy asked, "You usually love that job!"
"Yeah, but these things can fly really fast. It's embarrassing that I can't."
"Aw Scoots." Daphne said.
"Hang on, we got this." Apple Bloom said, then looked at Sweetie Belle. Both fillies were smirking as Sweetie's horn glowed and a box lifted up out of her saddlebags. It was a box of Scootaloo's favorite cereal, but modified with cut out's of letters and a picture of Scootaloo glued to the front. Sweetie Belle shook the box as 'Bloom said "Will y'all do for a Scooti-Snack?"
Scootaloo stared angrily at her friends, but as their composure shattered and they began to laugh, she couldn't stay mad and joined in the laughter. "Ugh... How long have you been carrying that around waiting for a chance?"
"About two weeks." Sweetie Belle admitted.
"Okay okay... Let's do this."
XXXXX
Shaggy, Scooby and Scootaloo (You expected the bait team to be someone else? For shame.) returned to town. As they were the bait, they weren't even trying to sneak in, but just walked in boldly, having a loud rambling conversation. "So that's when I said, 'Look man, if I want a slice of three meat pizza with pickles and sauerkraut on a hamburger bun then that's what I want!" Shaggy finished a story.
"That's horrid Shaggy." Scootaloo said.
"Like I know, right? The customer is always right! How dare he tell me no when it comes to food!"
"Yeah, that wasn't what I meant..." Scootaloo shook her head. "So, I'm afraid to ask but how did it taste?"
"Relicious!" Scooby answered.
They arrived at the town square. Whether it was the later hour, or the threat of Mothmen, who can say, but it was now deserted. "Like no one in sight." Shaggy said. "I guess it's time to engage the universe's sense of irony. Scoob, you wanna do the honors?"
"Uh-uh, rot me!"
"I got this." Scootaloo said, and then in a loud clear voice made the following statement: "Gosh! I sure am glad those awful Mothmen aren't around! That would just be the worst!" And as soon as she finished, there were roars as the monsters appeared from various side streets and ran right for the trio.
"Zoinks! It worked!" Shaggy cried out, and then they were on the run. Now, as anyone familiar with the exploits of Mystery Inc. can attest, Shaggy and Scooby are fast. Scootaloo too, of course, but the Mothmen were faster in the air and none of the bait team could fly. They had a plan for that. As they ran, Shaggy and Scooby managed to slip on roller skates, while Scootaloo jumped aboard the skateboard she found before and threw them lines, then revved up her wings to maximum power and they were off at incredible speed.
As they reached the edge of town, a patrol car pulled up alongside, lights flashing. "What are you doing back in town!?" Deputy Hollister demanded.
Scootaloo grabbed hold of his driver's door. "Gun it!"
"What!?"
"Like look in your mirror dude!" Shaggy exclaimed.
Hollister did, and saw the Mothmen flying close behind. "Criminey! They're real!" He shouted and slammed his foot down on the gas pedal.
"Get us to the TNT Area! We have a plan!" Scootaloo told him. The deputy only nodded. It took less than two minutes to get there. At a particular curve in the road, Scootaloo let go of the car and the trio continued on straight while Hollister curved away, braking to a stop when he saw that the monsters were all following them. The bait team reached the door in seconds and rushed into the darkness below.
But this wouldn't be a Mystery Inc. trap if nothing went wrong now would it? As they rushed down the sloping ramp just past the door, Shaggy tripped and fell forward, catching Scootaloo and Scooby up into a ball rolling down, and right past their escape hatch. By the time they were back on their feet it was too late to go back, as the Mothmen were already in the tunnels behind them. "Scatter!" Scootaloo yelled, and they did just that. In the blinding darkness it was all but impossible to tell where they were going though, and monsters were right on their heels.
And with everyone going different directions, it was only a matter of time before out trio ended up in exactly the place the Mothmen were supposed to end up, running into each other all at once, and getting the chains dropped down over them. "Oh no!" Daphne exclaimed when she realized the mistake. "Now what!?"
Happily, the 'now what' turned out to be the Mothmen tripping over the bound bait team and going down hard, slamming into a wall where they were knocked silly. "Hmmm... Not what we planned, but still a win." Velma mused. "Come on Freddy, let's tie them up before they come to their senses..."
XXXXX
Thirty minutes later. Shaggy, Scooby and Scootaloo had been untied, and the now firmly bound Mothmen dragged out of the underground and propped against a wall just outside the door. Deputy Hollister had arrived as well, and looked at the monsters with confusion and just a little awe at the gang having successfully captured them. "So what in the blazes is this all about!?" he asked.
"Well sir, we suspected that Billy, or that waitress Flo had something to do with it at first." Scootaloo said. "Since they both acted weird."
"I coulda told you better than that." Hollister said. "Flo's just into weird stuff, takes curses and monsters and the like seriously... And since Billy's her grandson she put a lot of superstition into him too But who is it under the masks?"
"Some friends of yours." Freddy said, and then they pulled off the masks, revealing Sheriff Taylor and four of Hollister's fellow deputies.
"Sheriff!? But why!?"
"Our first real clue was this Mothman claw that got stuck in Billy's car." Apple Bloom said, "Or rather these dark blue threads stuck to it... The exact same dark blue as y'all's uniforms."
"And this is why they did it." Velma said, holding up the print-out news story.
Sweetie Belle explained "It's a story from another country. The government in Indonesia was worried about covid, but couldn't get villagers to isolate themselves. So they hired actors to dress up as monsters from local folklore to terrify them into staying in their homes!"
"And like when the state came down on the Sheriff to get people here to do the same, he decided to use the Mothman legend in the same way!" Shaggy said.
"And it would have worked, if it weren't for you meddling kids!" The Sheriff groused.
In the aftermath, things were complicated. Strictly speaking, the Sheriff and his men hadn't committed any crimes, but they had scared so many people there was bound to be hell to pay. They were turned loose and went to their homes, the Sheriff placing Hollister in temporary command. "That's why I didn't bring you in on it." He explained, "You're the best man I've got, I wanted you clear in case things went badly."
As for the gang, as word got out that they had stopped the 'monsters,' a store owner came to reward them by opening his store for them to shop free before they went out to the cabin. He had no idea how much this would cost him, Shaggy and Scooby loading a dozen rounded over carts each, leaving the poor man to gape in horror...