//------------------------------// // Same Old Ghosts // Story: G5 Adventures in Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island // by ponydog127 //------------------------------// Soon after getting all their baggage together, Mystery Incorporated and their new-found pony friends hopped into the Mystery Machine and set off down the road for Louisiana, hoping to find some good haunted houses for Daphne’s television broadcast. Misty hoped that Opaline wouldn’t find her way into this world and ruin the gang’s chances of finding a good mystery or ruin her good terms with her friends, but… there was always that slim possibility.  But, enough of the gloom for now and back to our story. The crew came upon several different houses during their time in Louisiana, and just as Daphne began rolling, seeing that these ghosts seemed real enough for her show, the gang would reveal some sort of scheme the ghost or monster would be hatching and it would be a guy in a mask. It continued like this until it was their third day in Louisiana. No more cases had popped up after solving the case of the Lobster Monster, so the gang was killing some time at a New Orleans flea market. Daphne let out a sigh as Fred, Hitch and Zipp snacked on some beignets they had gotten earlier. “Bad guys in masks… mechanical claws… magnets… hologram projectors…” she said. “That’s a good thing, right? It leaves the bad people where they belong and not harming someone,” Sunny pointed out. “Sunny’s right-- just like your good old days!” Pipp took some pictures of the scenery. “Too much like the good old days,” Daphne reasoned. “I’ve got a show to do. I need a real live ghost.” “That’s an oxymoron, Daph,” Velma told her. “Doesn’y anyone want a beignet?” Fred offered, but Daphne ignored him while searching through her Louisiana guidebook. “What I want is a house that's really haunted. I mean, there must be one somewhere in Louisiana.” “There is,” said a voice. “I work in it.” The group looked up to see a young Caucasian female with black hair and brown eyes approaching them, a bag of groceries within arms reach. “Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear. I work as a chef in a house on Moonscar Island, a house that really is haunted.” “Jinkies!” Velma said in surprise. “My name is Lena-- Lena Dupree,” the woman introduced herself. “Fred Jones,” Fred leapt up to shake Lena’s hand. “This is Velma Dinkley and Daphne Blake.” “Charmed,” Lena smiled, before her attention turned to the ponies hiding behind them. “You can come out, little darlins’. We won’t bite.” Sunny and her friends looked at her in surprise, a bit stunned she didn’t freak out over them. “Nice to meet you, Lena,” Sunny said after a moment. “I’m Sunny, and this is Pipp, Zipp and Hitch. We have some other friends, but they're off trying to get something to eat.” “Pleasure to meet y’all,” Lena said politely. “Moonscar Island? Where’s that exactly?” Daphne asked. “It’s in a bayou not far from here,” Lena answered. “A pirate named Morgan Moonscar died on the island, and his spirit still haunts the place.” Zipp found this very interesting, her bright blue orbs lighting up at the sound of spirits and ghosts. “Uh-huh…” Fred smiled skeptically. “Well, no offense, Lena. But it's probably just some guy in an old pirate suit trying to scare off the local kids.” “The ghost is real. Of course, if you’re too scared to go,” Lena shot him a little smirk. “Scared? Me? No, I-I don’t think so,” Fred shook his head with a surprised stammer. “If you wanna check it out, you’re welcome to come by,” Lena told them before turning and walking off. “I’ll be leavin’ as soon as I finish shoppin’.” “Well, uh… we’ll think about it!” Hitch called, waving her farewell. “What do you think, Daph?” Pipp asked. “Seem story worthy?” “What do we have to lose? It’s the best lead we’ve had all day!” Daphne said with a grin. “And that Lena is kinda cute,” Fred admitted as he took another bite of his beignet. “Fred…” Daphne frowned crossly. “I just meant she'd be real photogenic for our segment,” Fred told her. “Riiight…” Zipp nodded. “Uh, wipe your upper lip, Romeo.” “Jinkies! Listen to this!” Velma said from the computer in the back of the Mystery Machine. “I punched up Moonscar Island on our research database-- there have been quite a few strange disappearances around that island over the years-- some dating back to over 30 years ago!” “Sounds promising,” Sunny said, even though she was a little worried about what Velma said. But she didn’t want to discourage the actual good case they had in that timeframe of being on the road. “We better find Misty, Izzy, Scooby and Shaggy before Lena takes off.” “Where did they go, anyway?” Hitch asked. “That’s no mystery,” Velma said with a smirk. “Where else? To get a bite to eat!” XXXXXXXXXX True to Velma’s words, Shaggy and Scooby had found a sandwich shop not too far from the Mystery Machine’s location, and had snuck Misty and Izzy along with them, hiding under the table so that way they wouldn’t attract attention as the attendee made Shaggy and Scooby a large sandwich with loads of toppings. “Phew! I've made a lot of po' boy sandwiches in my time. But this has got to be the biggest of them all!” the attendee told them as he placed the sandwich before the duo. “Like, we’re used to eating big meals,” Shaggy said, just as he and Scooby began to lather the sandwich in hot peppers and hot sauce. “I see you boys like it hot,” the attendee sliced the sandwich in half for them. “Like, mo’ hotter, mo’ better,” Shaggy grinned. “Right, Scoob?” “Mo’ hotter, mo’ better!” Scooby nodded and ate his entire sandwich whole. Then, to play a little prank on Shaggy, he sucked all the toppings off Shaggy’s sandwich so Shaggy only tasted the bread. “Hmm…” Shaggy muttered. “Like, that was a lot less filling than I thought there would be.” Misty and Scooby giggled at this-- it was actually kinda fun to eat massive amounts and play pranks… just as long as it didn’t go too far. They were just about to get up and leave just as Fred and Zipp came over when no one else was around. “Hey, let’s go guys!” Zipp called. “We have another haunted house to investigate!” Hearing this made Shaggy and Scooby gulp nervously-- where would they be going this time?