And now... (drum roll) The next Chapter!

Here's the romantic chapter... (skip if you're not into romance)


Later that evening, our protagonists stood in the garden, Shaggy pacing uncertainly. Scooby (still an elephant) was trying to open a candy bar wrapper, but just ended up crushing it into a pulp. He grumbled and threw it into a pile of other crushed candy bars.

"Like, man, what am I going to do?" Shaggy asked, turning to Puggsy who was leaning against a tree. He just shrugged.

Fangface was playing chess with Buckbeak, waiting for the hippogriff to make a move. "So, move, (grr)" he urged. Buckbeak picked up his piece, knocking a piece off a square, obviously making a 'check mate' move. Fangface stared in surprise. "Wow... (grr) that's a nice move." He then did an impression of Rover Dangerfield. "I can't believe it. I'm losing to a bird."

"Fangface, you've got to help me out!" Shaggy sighed. Fangface poofed up to him, wearing dark sunglasses and a leather jacket, looking like he was a gangster.

"Alright, Sparky, here's the deal, (snarl). If you want to date the little lady, you've got to be straight shooter, understand?" he made a gun-point with his hand, making a shooting sound effect.

Shaggy arched an eyebrow. "What?"

Puggsy rolled his eyes. "Real simple, Shag! Tell. Her. The. TRUTH!!!" he snapped, unaware that Fangface was wearing a graduate's cap and had a pointer, pointing to the last four words Puggsy said on a chalkboard, the fourth one on the other side, neon and flashing. Puggsy turned around and sneered at him. "Show off."

"No way!" Shaggy ran up and wiped his hands through the sign, making it disperse like smoke. "If Jazz found out that I was just some goofball... she'd laugh at me."

Fangface poofed up on Shaggy's head as a lampshade. "A girl loves a guy with a sense of humor! (grr) Humor, yeah!" he said. Shaggy grabbed the chain, clicking the 'light' off. Fangface poofed back into himself, standing in front of Shaggy. "Shag, you're only kidding yourself. (grr)"

"I hate to admit it, but Fangface's got a point." Puggsy agreed.

"I just have to try harder," Shaggy said, pulling a suave brown jacket on. "I just got to be confident... Cool..." He struck a 'cool' pose. "How do I look?"

Puggsy rolled his eyes. "Like a prince..." he and Fangface watched as Shaggy climbed on Buckbeak and flew up to Jazz's balcony. "...Prince of the numbskulls, that is."


Hobbes stood behind the corner, watching Calvin sit on the rug, playing cars. He got ready to pounce, but a heavy sigh distracted him. He looked over and saw Jazz sitting on her bed. "Still not over the whole 'boyfriend' concept, are you?" he asked, walking in.

"No... and my parents are really pushing me about it." Jazz replied, bitterly.

"Well, what are they expecting? That some guy will just come climbing over the balcony?" he raised his paw in the direction of the balcony.

"Princess Jazz?" A voice called from outside. They looked over, seeing 'Shali' climbing over the edge of the balcony, in the shadows.

Hobbes stared at his paw in disbelief. "I must use this power for good..."

Jazz sighed and stepped out onto the balcony. "Who is it?" she asked, annoyed.

"It's just me, Shali..." Shaggy started to say, then cleared his throat and struck a more confident, manly pose. "Er, I mean, Prince Shali Rogwa."

"Go away, I don't want to talk to you."

"Jazz, wait! I---" Shaggy began to run toward her, stepping into the light, but Hobbes stepped in front of him, growling.

"She said she didn't want to talk. Now, beat it, bozo!" Hobbes snapped, creeping toward Shaggy.

"Uh, nice kitty?" Shaggy crawled up on the edge of the balcony.

Fangface floated up to Buckbeak, who was hovering below the balcony, listening to everything. "(grr) So, how's our little beau doing?" Fangface asked in a whisper.

Buckbeak slid his hand beneath his throat, making a 'Grck!" sound. Fangface slapped his forehead.

Jazz was preparing to go inside. "C'mon, Hobbes." She called, turning around... and seeing Shaggy better, now that he was in the light. "Hold it!" Hobbes stopped glowering at Shaggy (for the moment) then walked back over to Jazz's side. "Do I... know you from somewhere?"

"Um, I don't think so..." Shaggy replied, sweating with nervousness.

"You look like someone I saw in town."

"In town? I have my servants go to town for me. ...Why, I even have servants for my servants! You know, just so they don't get overworked." Jazz and Hobbes just looked at him, Hobbes tipped his head to the side, quizzically.

Below, Fangface rolled his eyes. He's really pushing it with this prince act. he thought.

"So, it like, couldn't have been me."

"No, I guess not." Jazz sighed.

"Enough about you! (snarl) talk about her!" A buzzy voice said next to Shaggy's ear. He turned and saw Fangface (in a tiny size) wearing a black and yellow striped sweater with bumble-bee wings on his back, with a black aviator's cap and goggles, with springy antennas on the top.

"What?" Shaggy whispered.

"(grr) You know... The hair, the eyes. Anything! Pick a feature! (snarl)"

Shaggy got the point, then turned back to Jazz. "Princess Jazz, you're very..." he tried to think up the perfect word, and Fangface tried to help.

"Ooh! Ooh! Say she's pretty! Beautiful, nice, gorgeous, sassy!"

"Sassy!"

"What?!" Jazz turned sharply to Shaggy, glaring daggers.

"Uh, I meant, classy!"

"Good save!" Fangface whispered, giving Shaggy a thumbs-up.

Jazz smiled. "I'm rich, too." She said, feigning her sweetness.

"Yeah..." Shaggy said, dreamily.

"The daughter of a king..."

"I know."

"Ooh! Ooh! Warning! Warning! (grr!)" Fangface yelled in Shaggy's ears, blinking red and making a radar sound. He could see what Jazz was doing... hard to believe Shaggy couldn't.

"A fine girlfriend for any hansom prince out there..." Jazz continued, sexily walking closer to Shaggy.

"Y-Yeah, a prince like me!" Shaggy said, a bit nervous as Jazz got close to him.

"Mayday! MAYDAY!!!" Fangface shrieked, rocketing downward in a sitting position, wrestling invisible controls as fiery smoke poured out behind him.

"Right. A prince like you." Jazz replied, sweetly, then dropped her act and angrily pulled the back of Shaggy's jacket over his head. "And every other stuffed-shirt, bragging, stupid guy out there!" she then stormed away.

Shaggy pulled his jacket off of his head. "Jazz, wait!" he said.

"Ah, go jump off a balcony, Romeo!" Hobbes snapped at him.

"Ooh, she's in a hissy-fit." Fangface said. "(grr) Want me to turn back into a werewolf and bite her?"

"Like, why don't you make like a bee and buzz off?"

"(snarl) You're lucky genies can't kill. (grr) You're on your own, but remember: 'bee' yourself." he then flew into Shaggy's pocket, materializing into the lamp in his pocket.

"Yeah, right!" He said it louder than he expected it to.

"What?!" Jazz asked, turning back around angrily.

"Uh, I said... You're right." Shaggy sighed. Jazz's expression softened a bit. "You're not just some prize to be won..."

Hobbes looked at him uncertain. "He's up to something..." he muttered.

"Hush." Jazz shushed him.

"I think I'll just take your tiger's advice and jump off the balcony..." Shaggy stood up on the edge of the balcony. Don't look down, don't look down... he told himself, stepping off.

Jazz gasped, running over frantically. "No! Wait!"

Shaggy popped his head up. "What? What is it??"

Jazz stared in disbelief. "How---"

"Whoa, how are you doing that??" Hobbes asked, just as surprised.

Shaggy began to rise, and they saw that he was standing on Buckbeak's back. "Just had a little help from my hippogriff friend." he replied, smiling.

Jazz stared in awe at Buckbeak. "He's... he's gorgeous." she said, stroking his fur. Buckbeak took her hand and smooched like a gentle man. "...And very proper."

"Would you... like to go for a ride?"

She looked at Buckbeak, uncertain. "Are you sure it's safe? ...I mean, he won't buck us off, will he?"

Shaggy shook his head. "Nah, Buckbeak's a great pilot. It's pretty safe. Do you trust me?"

Jazz paused, looking at Shaggy in disbelief. "What?"

"Do you trust me?" Shaggy held out his hand, a smile kept on his face.

Why do those words sound so familiar? she thought. "Yes..." She finally said, taking hold of Shaggy's hand, and he pulled her up onto Buckbeak.

"Hang on!" And they shot off of the balcony. Jazz gasped and hung on to Shaggy, looking back down at Hobbes, who watched them fly away.

"Aw, man... I wanted a ride, too!" Hobbes whined, then shrugged, returning into the hall to continue stalking Calvin. "Guess I'll just have to find something else to do in the meantime..."

Shaggy and Jazz soared over the city on Buckbeak, soaring through an alley and around buildings. Then the romantic little ditty began...

Shaggy: I can show you the world

Shining, shimmering, splendid,

Tell me, princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?

Buckbeak picked a flower out of a small window-sill garden, and handed it to Shaggy, who handed it to Jazz when she looked over.

I can open your eyes

Take you wonder by wonder

Over, sideways, and under

On a groovy hippogriff ride

They flew beneath a high bridge, then up into the clouds, soaring through the starry sky.

A whole new world

A new fantastic point of view

No one to tell us no,

Or where to go

Or say we're only dreaming...

Jazz was awed by everything around her, and she began to sing along.

Jazz: A whole new world

A dazzling place I never knew

But when I'm way up here,

It's crystal clear

That now I'm in a whole new world with you...

Shaggy: (now I'm in a whole new world with you)

They dove in and out of clouds, then swirled around one cloud, making it look like an ice-cream top... Mmm, ice cream... (Ahem) Then they flew by a flock of geese.

Jazz: Unbelievable sights.

"Squawk!!" One goose shrieked, seeing Buckbeak and the two teenagers. It nearly fainted.

Indescribable feeling

Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling

Through an endless diamond sky!

Buckbeak did an aerial flip, causing Shaggy and Jazz to drop a short second. Then he began to do a nosedive.

Shaggy (covering his eyes): A whole new world....!

Jazz: Don't you dare close your eyes!

She removed his hands from his eyes, as Buckbeak went back to flying steady through Egypt...?!

There's a hundred thousand things to see.

Shaggy: Hold your breath, it gets better!

Jazz: I'm like a shooting star, I've come so far!

They waved to a man working on a pyramid. When he saw them, his eyes bugged out in shock and he hit the hammer too hard, and the nose of the pyramid broke off. Jazz and Shaggy cringed at the sight, sorry that they shocked the man.

I can't go back to where I used to be...

Shaggy: (A whole new world...)

Jazz: Every turn a surprise.

They flew down to a field, where a herd of horses were running through it. Jazz leaned down and stroked a yellow stallion with a black mane (Spirit), making him gallop happily.

Shaggy: (A new horizon to pursue)

Jazz: Every moment red-letter!

Both Shaggy and Jazz: I'll chase them anywhere,

There's time to spare,

Let me share this whole new world with you...

They flew through Greece, passed a temple that looked like the same one shown in Hercules. There was a soda machine, and Shaggy had Buckbeak pause for a bit as he knocked it with his fist and two sodas came out. He grabbed them and they continued to fly through the trees, by a sparkling river.

Shaggy: A whole new world...

Jazz: (A whole new world)

Shaggy: That's where we'll be...

Jazz: (That's where we'll be)

Shaggy rolled a soda off his shoulder and down his arm, into Jazz's hand. She smiled, knowing exactly where she'd seen the same trick before.

Shaggy: A thrilling chase...

Jazz: A wondrous place...

Both: For you and me.

Buckbeak flies slowly, just above the sparkling water. Minutes later, he takes them to China, and they're all sitting on a rooftop, watching fireworks.

"Man, isn't this amazing?" Shaggy asked as they watched, sipping his soda.

"It's all so beautiful," Jazz said, then looked at her soda and grinned. "It's too bad Scooby couldn't come with."

"Nah, he's not too fond of flying. And Buckbeak scares him a little."

"Squawk!" Buckbeak gasped, realizing that Shaggy had blown his cover!

Shaggy's eyes widened when he then realized what he just said. "...Uh, what I meant to say was... Like, oh no.."

Jazz glared at him. "You are the boy from town! Why didn't you tell me?!" she demanded.

"Jazz... It's, like, kind of complicated to explain..."

"Who are you?! And tell me the truth!"

"Th-the truth??" Shaggy looked at Buckbeak for support, but the hippogriff just shrugged and gave him the 'go on' motion. "The truth is... I sometimes dress like a regular kid, to escape the pressures of palace life!"

"Squar..." Buckbeak sighed, slapping his forehead in disbelief at Shaggy's lie.

"But I really am a prince." Shaggy grinned, innocently.

"Why didn't you tell me all this before?" Jazz asked.

"Well, it sounds pretty ridiculous, don't you think? A high-class kid dressing like a poor person?"

Jazz chuckled lightly, knowing she had done the same thing. "I guess it's not that weird." she scooted closer to Shaggy and rested her head on his shoulder, watching the fireworks. He laid his head on hers, smiling.

Buckbeak sighed lightly, finding the scene romantic. Shaggy rolled his eyes upward to the skies, wondering... Could he really pull off this charade for long?


A/N: And there you go. The more actiony-scene is coming up next!