It was finally over.

Lord Valdronya had finally been captured and defeated in one go, and Ruby and Daphne were finally safe from the clutches of him and the Fangenshanz members.

And upon realizing this, the group burst into cheers and hugs of excitement, not believing that it was FINALLY over, after so many days of investigating and running for their lives.

Ruby sighed in relief. “I’ve never been so happy to say that I’m glad this mystery is finally over!”

“Tell us about it,” Snuzzle said. “I never thought that I’d conquer my fear of water, but… I guess I had to do it, in order to save Minty.”

“Hey, we have to stick together, remember?” Minty said. “We’re forever friends, making our mark.”

On the other hand, Daphne approached Lord Valdronya and began to take off the top part of his mask to begin the reveal. “Let's see who's under that mask.”

When the mask was pulled off, a second mask was revealed underneath… sort of similar to a gas mask. “Like I've been saying all along,” Velma said as she approached, “there's no such thing as real vampires. Right… Mr. Van Helsing?”

And as she pulled the mask off, it was revealed to be Vincent Van Helsing underneath the mask, much to the shock of the others. “VAN HELSING?!”

Misty was the most stunned at this. “But… why? I thought he was our friend!”

“He was, but he was also trying to save Petit Chauve Souris Ville by staging a series of real live vampire events,” Velma explained. “Events tied to his latest book, The Bride of the Vampire… which I actually read. It's not bad.”

Mr. Van Helsing, although upside-down, looked at her in surprise. “You really liked it?”

“She said it’s not bad,” Zipp said with a narrowed gaze. “Don’t push it.”

“So by creating a real vampire legend,” realized Pipp, “he’d get tourists year round!”

“And sell books,” Fred added. “It’s true,” Mr. Van Helsing admitted with a sigh. “I wanted to put the Van Helsing name back on the map. I thought once word spread of the ceremony… tourists would flock here to see the place where a real live vampire wedding ritual had happened. Then I would no longer need Lita Rutland… and her schlocky Vampire-Palooza to make ends meet.”

“But what about the actors?” Hitch remained confused. “What was their part in all this madness?”

“Merely pawns in his game,” Velma said as the actors began to gain consciousness. “They were so devoted to the vampire way of life, they were easily duped. When Valdronya first appeared, they really thought their ritual had conjured him up. Van Helsing used their intense belief in vampires against them.”

“But Van Helsing was in the audience when Valdronya materialized in the theater,” Fred pointed out. “He used a laser projector for that,” Ruby added. “And I’d wager that he planted similar projectors in the museum, so it would give the illusion that Valdronya was still in that coffin.”

“Security cameras rewired for special effects would explain a lot,” Velma added, “including why there was no surveillance footage of Valdronya's supposed escape. When Daphne tore off a piece of modern fabric from Valdronya's cloak… Mr. Van Helsing must've feared the threads of his plot were unraveling… so to speak. Looking at it now… I suspect he passed off ancient fabric from his museum as a cover-up.”

“But, we all saw him get drug away by those freaky-deaky hands,” Izzy pointed out. “How did that happen?”

Velma had the answer for that too. “He staged his own demise in the swamp using this.”

With the simple stomp of her foot, two hands appeared from the tall grass and grabbed her shoulders, causing Shaggy and Scooby to shriek in terror. “VAMPIRES!!!”

“No,” Velma said as she moved the grass to reveal a device composed of train-like tracks and other mechanisms. “A simple mechanical device he planted in the marsh.”

“Probably a prop from the theater,” Daphne realized, and Fred immediately caught on. “So when he was kicking and flailing…”

“He was actually triggering it!” Sunny realized. “Kind of ingenius if you ask me.”

“But, like, how did he hypnotize everyone?” Shaggy asked, and that’s when Fred revealed the gas dispensers on Mr. Van Helsing’s wrists. “Knockout gas,” he clarified with a smile. “No one knew what hit ‘em. But when they awoke, they remembered seeing Valdronya… and thought he'd mesmerized them.”

Within a few minutes, the sheriff and many other officers were called to the scene, where they placed Mr. Van Helsing and Fangenshanz under arrest for their crimes over the past few days. “By gassing everyone at the wedding,” Fred continued, “he'd slip away… but leave eyewitnesses like Ruby Jubilee to tell the tale of Valdronya and his bride.”

“The actors already lived like vampires,” Velma added on, “so they could just go on like that thinking they were actually immortal.”

“Wow,” Minty commented. “You guys really thought of everything.”

“It’s what the gang does best,” Sunny smiled. “Just like we all have our unique talents that make us special.”

But as he was being led away by the officers, Bram stopped to talk to Daphne and Ruby personally. “Daphne, I… I'm sorry for putting you and Ruby through all this.”

“...you WERE being pawns in Van Helsing’s scheme, so… it wasn’t ENTIRELY your fault,” Ruby said, trying to be comforting. “So… I forgive you. What about you, Daph?”

“Well,” Daphne said with a smile, “it's not every day a girl is kidnapped to be an ancient Vampire's bride. In a strange way, I'm flattered.”

“Really?” Bram asked with a smile. “Maybe after I get out of prison, we could grab a coffee and…”

However, Daphne was quick to reject the offer. “Not on your life, bat boy. I don't date actors.”

“Move along, fella,” said the officer with Bram, and Bram continued walking toward the police van. “Like, there's one thing about this whole plan I don't get,” Shaggy said, causing Sunny to look at him, confused. “What’s that, Shaggy?”

“Why’d Van Helsing need us?”

The ponies tried to come up with an answer to such a claim, but even they were clueless as to what the answer could have been. “You were my credible witnesses,” Van Helsing clarified. “It's one thing to have a bunch of weirdo vampire-reenactment nuts spreading my tale. Quite another when the story is recounted by respected monster hunters such as yourselves.”

“...we’re respected?” Shaggy questioned, leaving Pipp to elbow him slightly with her wing.

“My family's legacy would have been restored,” Mr. Van Helsing continued. “Not to mention,” said Blue Belle, “you would have sold books.”

“Oh, yeah,” Izzy nodded. “That too.”

“Wow, like, that is one elaborate plan,” Shaggy said, just as Mr. Van Helsing let out another sigh. “And I would have gotten away with it, if not for you meddling…”

“Let’s go, Van Helsing,” said the sheriff before leading him away. But no sooner did this happen that the portal to Equestria opened back up. “Aw, man! Do you guys have to leave so soon?” Shaggy asked. “We were gonna head to Miami next!”

“I wish we could stay, but we have a show to get back to at Bridlewoodstock that we can’t miss,” Ruby said. “Thank you guys for such an incredible adventure. We’ll never forget it.”

“Just like we’ll never forget you,” Minty agreed, and the group exchanged warm farewells with their friends before they galloped into the portal before it closed. And after it closed, Fred turned back toward the rest of the gang. “Well, gang, it looks like another mystery is solved.”

And upon picking up Van Helsing’s mask, a reprise of the song they sang earlier began to play as the criminals were shipped away.

Fred: I don’t want no more ghouls
Or nothing scary

Daphne: No vampire creatures giving me a fright

Velma: No ghosts that rattle chains

Shaggy: Or things that eat your brains

Fred: Or monsters that go
Flying through the night

Velma: We’re going on vacation

Daphne: And heading somewhere new

Scooby: Rest and relaxation

Mystery Inc: Is all we're gonna do
Want no more actors or kooks

Velma: Van Helsing's scheme is done
With all his vampire spooks

Shaggy: And now, it’s time to run!

Daphne: We're gonna be cool as cukes
Our monster days are through

Velma and Daphne: No demonic beasts

Fred and Shaggy: And nothin’ deceased

Mystery Inc: It's time to relax
And that's what we're gonna do!

Doo doo doo doo doo doo
Scooby doop doop doop doop doop doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo
Scooby doop doop doo doo

Doo doo doo doo doo doo
Scooby doop doop doop doop doop doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo
Scooby doop doop doo doo

Doo doo doo doo doo doo
Scooby doop doop doop doop doop doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo
Scooby doop doop doo doo

And just like that, during the impromptu scatting break, the Mystery Machine set off down the road, looking for a new vacation spot… and potentially, a new mystery to solve.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, the Mane 6, Ruby Jubilee and the Dreamlands arrived back in Equestria, with Sunny sighing in relief. “It sure is good to be home.”

“I’ll say it is,” Hitch agreed as he cuddled with Sparky. “Solving mysteries is fun and everything, but there can be times where things can get a little… hectic.”

“I’m just glad we’re gonna be performing in a little bit,” Snuzzle said, “just like we were meant to.”

“Really?” Zipp looked surprised. “What happened to wanting to be heroes like us?”

“Well… we actually did some thinking,” Ruby said. “You guys protect Equestria in your own way, but we can help in our own way too. By using our music to keep everypony’s spirits up.”

“Yeah,” Blue Belle nodded. “So in a way, we can be heroes too!”

“That’s great!” Misty smiled. “We’re so happy to hear you say that.”

Pipp then checked the time with an excited smile. “Girls, we go onstage in 20 minutes! Is everypony ready for the best Bridlewoodstock opening performance ever?”

“With the adventure we’ve just been on?” Minty asked with a smile. “You know we are!”

And that's exactly what it was-- the best opening performance Bridlewoodstock had ever had. The song "Hooves Together" was just as memorable, and the Dreamlands and Ruby couldn't think of a better way to welcome themselves home than performing as one big musical family.

Another mystery was solved, and another Unity Quest completed. But don't worry... more missions are still to come, and they could be just as wild as this one was... maybe even more.

But that won't matter, for our heroes know that as long as they have each other, they can work together and solve any problem that comes their way.

Author's Note

Sorry if this felt a little rushed, guys... I've been working on this story for a while now, and I guess I just wanted to get it over with so I could get the rest of the season underway.

See you in the next story, everypony!