Wahoo! I'm back baby! Sorry for the two year delay, lot of things had happened in two years. But I'm back now and ready to finish this series. I promise I'll get it done.
The living room was a tableau of fear and unease, a decidedly unsettling nest where anxiety wrapped its tendrils around the air like a thick fog.
Shaggy and Scooby, were huddled together on the couch, their bodies tense and eyes wide, glued to the vivid images of chaos unfolding on the television screen as a war movie blared in the background. Every explosion seemed to resonate within their chests, sending shivering shocks of terror through their very core.
Meanwhile, Courage, perched precariously on the armrest and vibrating with palpable fear, glanced nervously at the other two, his wide eyes reflecting the horror displayed in the flickering images before them.
"This is too much, Scoob! I think I need a break from war films," Shaggy whimpered, his voice laced with a choked fear that echoed throughout the room.
"Reah, Raggy. I don't like explosions either. Rhey make my fur stand on end," Scooby agreed, his own voice trembling, betraying his anxiety.
Courage, unable to contain his fear any longer, let out a pitiful whine, "It's awfully scary! I don't like war movies at all!"
Eustace, relishing the trio's discomfort, smirked and rolled his newspaper into a makeshift megaphone. With a
gleeful "BOOM!" he let out an earsplitting bellow.
The effect was instantaneous; Scooby and Courage, startled beyond belief, emitted shrieks of terror and bounced around the room like frightened pinballs, crashing into the window with a resounding thud that echoed their panic.
"That's not funny, Uncle Eustace! You scared the bejeebers out of them!" Shaggy snapped, frustration radiating from him like a palpable heat.
Eustace scoffed, "Oh lighten up for once, Shaggy-haired fella. A little excitement never hurt anyone."
Shaggy quickly rushed to check on his furry friends, worry etched on his face. "You okay, guys?" he asked, his voice shaking with genuine concern.
"My ears are still ringing!" Scooby moaned, clutching his head as if to steady his racing heart.
Courage echoed his distress, adding, "I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest!"
Just then, in an unsettling turn of events, a strange, rocket-like object hurtled towards the Bagge Farmhouse, its trajectory as terrifying as a nightmare. With a booming explosion, it crashed into the roof, exploding into dozens of glowing fragments that scattered ominously, sinking into the soil with alarming speed.
The stunned silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the frantic beating of their hearts and the low whimpers of fear that escaped from Scooby and Courage's lips.
Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage exchanged horrified glances that spoke volumes.
"Zoinks!" Shaggy cried, his eyes wide with terror.
"Rit was a missile!" Scooby squeaked, fear rising in his voice.
They instinctively rushed towards Muriel and Eustace, their alarm palpable.
"Aunt Muriel! Uncle Eustace!" Shaggy cried, urgency lacing his voice.
"A missile! It flew straight toward our house and exploded into millions of pieces!" Courage screamed, his voice trembling with genuine panic.
"Rand...those pieces...they're sinking into the ground!" Scooby echoed, the fear in his voice heavy and thick.
"Get out of the way, dogs and Shaggy haired fella. You're blocking the best bombs!" Eustace demanded.
"Come on, boys. Let's go to bed. This movie's doing neither of us much good," Muriel said, upset.
"But, Aunt Muriel," Shaggy pleaded, "That missile...it...it was real!"
"Don't be silly, Shaggy," Muriel said, turning to go upstairs. "It was just on the TV."
As they reluctantly moved upstairs, Scooby, Courage, and Shaggy exchanged anxious glances laden with disbelief and concern, each step filled with tension as their minds raced with questions they could hardly voice.
"What do you think that missile was?" Shaggy whispered nervously, the image of the explosion still vivid in their minds.
Scooby shrugged uneasily, his own voice low, "RI don't know. But it wasn't good."
In a bid to sound brave, Courage said, "We can't do anything about it now. We'll just go to sleep and find out what happened in the morning."
Even as they attempted to reassure one another, a lingering shadow of fear hung over them like an ominous cloud, trailing them as they parted ways for the night. Courage retreated to the master bedroom, while Shaggy and Scooby sought solace in the attic, the words "good night" exchanged in hushed tones as sleep eluded them like a shadow in the dark. The inexplicable missile and its glowing fragments continued to haunt their thoughts, leaving them under the weight of an unsettling fear they couldn't shake off, a dread that lingered like an unwelcome guest in their hearts.
The next morning, Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage peeked out of the door nervously, their eyes darting across the yard, searching for any sign of the night's explosive event. The early sunlight painted the landscape in warm hues, but a lingering unease shrouded them like a dismal fog, a knot of anxiety tightening in their stomachs despite the serene beauty surrounding them.
With nothing out of the ordinary visible…just the peaceful contours of the yard and the gentle sway of flowers—they felt the unease settle more deeply within; memories of the previous night's chaos replayed in their minds like a broken record.
"Courage, Shaggy, Scooby, the day's gorgeous," Muriel said, taking in a deep breath, "Let's see what's growing in the garden."
The mere mention of the garden sparked a flicker of excitement in Shaggy, pulling him from the depths of worry. "Whatever is in the garden, I hope it's good enough to eat," he declared, anticipation bubbling in tandem with the rumbling of his stomach at the thought of culinary delights.
Scooby, matching Shaggy's enthusiasm, wagged his tail vigorously and let out a joyful, "Roh-boy!" his appetite overpowering the remnants of his apprehension.
However, Courage's anxiety clung to him, and he voiced his concerns with a tremor in his voice, "Guys, I wouldn't. That stuff that rained down last night into millions of pieces could be dangerous to eat," as his tail tucked between his legs betrayed his fear.
Shaggy and Scooby shared a glance, the dreadful memory of the explosion flickering in the corners of their minds.
Just then, Muriel's gasp interrupted their thoughts: "Oh, my! Boys, come look at this!" she called out excitedly as they approached the garden.
They rushed over, their eyes widening in disbelief at the sight before them—a collection of enormous, vibrant green leaves sprouting from the ground, each unlike anything they'd ever seen before.
"What is it, Muriel?" Courage asked, his voice quivering in equal parts awe and dread.
"Let's see what it is," Muriel said as she began removing the leaves, "A carrot."
"Whoa! That thing is huge!" Shaggy exclaimed, his eyes nearly bulging out at the sheer scale of the vegetable, the largest carrot he had ever encountered in his life.
Yet, while Muriel was ecstatic, Courage's stomach churned with trepidation, his instincts screaming that something was off, "That's… not normal," he murmured, accompanied by a shiver running down his spine.
Muriel then went over to the carrot and tried to pull it out of the ground but struggled, "Boys, I could use a wee bit more muscle!" she said.
Immediately, they all gathered around this monstrous root, bracing themselves as they pulled with all their might. Suddenly, with a loud pop, the carrot tore free from the earth, causing them to tumble into a chaotic pile, the carrot hilariously landing atop them like some monstrous green helmet.
"Rhis isn't exactly what I had in mind for breakfast!" Scooby's muffled voice came from beneath the weight of the carrot, his signature mixture of confusion and exasperation clear.
"It took enough time. But when I grow a carrot, I grow a carrot," Muriel excitedly said as she got up.
Meanwhile, Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage exchanged worried glances, a creeping sense of apprehension settling over them like a thick fog: the carrot simply felt… off.
"Like, I don't know, dudes… This doesn't feel right," Shaggy admitted, a note of trepidation lacing his words.
Courage nodded vigorously, a wave of dread washing over him as he concluded, "Yeah, something's off. This carrot... it has to be connected to the explosion!"
"Rhat will we do?" Scooby asked, his voice trembling with equal parts fear and confusion, as the three friends faced an inexplicable mystery veiled beneath the veil of an ordinary garden.
The air in the kitchen was thick with apprehension as Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage huddled around the gargantuan carrot, Scooby and Courage's noses twitching with unease. It was like nothing they'd ever seen: a monstrous, bulbous orange monstrosity that seemed to mock their every instinct.
"Looks juicy, doesn't it, boys?" Muriel chimed in, oblivious to the palpable fear radiating from the trio.
"Uh, like, are you sure it's safe, Aunt Muriel? That carrot looks... well, it looks big," Shaggy stammered, his voice barely a whisper, registering an instinctive panic as if the carrot was a creature from their worst nightmares.
"I don't trust that carrot!" Scooby agreed, his tail drooping between his legs, nervousness evident in every quiver of his floppy ears.
"It feels wrong. We shouldn't touch it, Muriel!" Courage whimpered, his eyes wide with terror that glinted under the ominous kitchen lights, the very notion of that carrot sending shivers down his spine.
"I was going to make a stew out of it, but I'm tempted to eat it raw," Muriel answered while taking a knife and fork out of the drawer.
However, just as she prepared to approach the gargantuan vegetable, the carrot inexplicably GREW TO EVEN MORE IMPOSING SIZE, causing the trio to yelp in sheer terror, as if it had just belched out an all-consuming threat.
"Uhh… Aunt Muriel?" Shaggy whimpered, his voice trembling with fear, the words tumbling from his lips as he gripped the edge of the table.
"It's even bigger than I remember," Muriel said, walking over to the table.
Just then, Eustace stomped into the kitchen, his face contorted in a grimace. "Carrots? I hate carrots!" he said, glaring at the carrot with a fierce intensity. He then pulled his hat over his eyes before heading out of the kitchen. "Can't even stand being in the same room as carrots! Call me when you got chopped meat."
Courage, feeling a chilling sense of doom creeping closer, whimsically hopped onto Muriel's lap, his small frame trembling as he gazed up at her, "Don't eat it, Muriel!" he begged, his voice barely audible above the cacophony of panic.
"Yeah! Like, it could be dangerous!" Shaggy added vehemently, his voice barely above a whisper, as if the very mention of danger might draw the carrot's wrath.
"Reah, you really should rethink this!" Scooby nervously nodded in agreement, his eyes darting back and forth between the threatening orange behemoth and Muriel, who remained blissfully unaware of the calamity brewing.
"You really should develop a taste for carrots, boys. They're very healthy for you," Muriel said as she put Courage down onto the floor. She didn't notice the carrot continuing to expand, its size now reaching a point of absurdity.
Courage gasped in horror, his tiny frame quaking uncontrollably as he witnessed this escalation. Shaggy and Scooby could only watch, paralyzed by a mix of terror and bewilderment, as the carrot transformed further, its vivid orange hue casting ominous shadows across the kitchen.
"Muriel, please!" Courage pleaded desperately, his voice laced with the fear that something absolutely unimaginable was about to occur.
Yet, lost in her own world of carrot-induced bliss, Muriel didn't hear his plea; instead, she picked up her knife and fork, and with a decisive move, plunged them into the giant carrot and took a magnificent bite. The trio watched in stunned silence as Muriel, with utter glee, devoured half the carrot in one go, her mouth stretching impossibly wide in a manner that defied every natural order.
"Did Aunt Muriel just eat… half of that carrot?!" Shaggy exclaimed, his jaw dropping as disbelief overcame him.
"Ruh-huh! Ralmost as much as we would have!" Scooby replied in astonishment, captivated by the spectacle before their eyes.
"Marvelous! That carrot makes me feel all cozy inside," Muriel said satisfied.
But then, the even more alarming began to unfold…Muriel started to GROW, her body stretching and expanding as if she were being inflated from within, sending the trio into a frenzy of panic. Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage recoiled in horror, their worst fears coming to brutal fruition, as Courage's heart raced and his mind spun with dread.
"This can't be good…" Courage whispered, glancing up at the towering form of Muriel, whose innocent joy was now becoming a genuine source of terror for them.
"That's odd. I can reach the top shelf," Muriel said, grabbing a teapot from the top shelf of the cabinets, "Never could do that before. See, Courage? Carrots are good for you. Give you a good reach."
"This isn't good! She's getting too big!" Shaggy panicked, as urgency laced his voice, punctuating the unease in the already-charged atmosphere.
"Re've really got to do something, guys!" Scooby exclaimed, his eyes darting wildly around the room, searching for any solution to this growing horror.
"We need to think of something…" Courage fretted, his mind racing, contemplating how to save Muriel from this escalating absurdity. "Maybe… no!"
Just as Courage contemplated the growing chaos, Scooby yelled, "Raggy! Rourage! Rou gotta see what's on TV!"
The urgency in his voice drew Shaggy and Courage into the living room, where they found Eustace engrossed in a special news report on the television.
"The experimental missile isn't lost. It's misguided. A misguided missile, as we in the military say. And if it explodes over your vegetable garden and a huge carrot grows, don't eat it because you'll grow to, oh, the size of a farmhouse, and then, ka-boom!" the general told the reporter, planting seeds of dread in the hearts of the trio.
Courage gasped, his imagination spiraling into dark territories as he envisioned Muriel blowing up like a bomb due to her seemingly innocent indulgence of a giant carrot, "Muriel ate a giant carrot!"
"This is totally NOT good!" Shaggy exclaimed, his mind racing for a solution that didn't include losing his beloved aunt.
"Rhere has to be a way to stop this!" Scooby desperately suggested, panic flaring in his eyes like a beacon.
"Only I can disarm the thing. Plus there's a ten-million-dollar reward to keep quiet about it. But that's top secret," the general said.
"Heh heh heh. Ten million bucks." Eustace said, elbowing Courage in the eye.
"No! This can't be happening!" Courage shrieked in horror, his voice wavering at the thought of losing Muriel to this ludicrous situation.
"Like, this is bad! Really bad!" Shaggy shouted, panic gripping his heart, unwilling to confront a future where his aunt was no more.
"Ran this get any worse?" Scooby asked nervously, casting his gaze downward just as a loud crash reverberated through the room.
Turning in unison, the trio beheld the sight of Muriel, who had unwittingly destroyed the door frame in her attempt to join them.
"Ow. I don't know my own height," Muriel said, looking at the damage she had done.
Courage, overwhelmed by the absurdity and danger of the situation, screamed in sheer panic before exploding in hysteria.
"Rikes!" Scooby squealed, his instincts screaming to flee.
Shaggy was struck by a horrifying realization, "Zoinks! Aunt Muriel's gotten even bigger!"
"Muriel!" Eustace furiously screamed, walking to the door frame, "You ate my golden carrot! Give me back my carrot!"
They needed a plan, and fast.
"We need to check this out, quick!" Courage exclaimed, finally finding a semblance of composure amid the chaos brewing around them.
"Like, way behind you little pink dude!" Shaggy retorted, a frantic energy propelling them into motion.
Eager to take action, Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage darted upstairs, Courage struggling to support now a much larger Muriel.
"Muriel's getting a bit heavy!" Courage grunted, the reality of their rapidly escalating predicament settling heavily on his shoulders.
"Come back here, you good-for-nothing dog!" Eustace shouted as he gave chase, but the destruction caused by Muriel's growth slowed him down and made it challenging for him to follow.
"Oh my!" Muriel said as they entered the attic, accidentally demolishing a wall in the process. Courage gently set her down against the remnants of what was once a solid structure, disbelief evident in their eyes..
"All this fuss because I'm a wee bit taller," Muriel added.
"A wee bit? You're gigantic!" Courage panted, still reeling from the shock.
"Rot just a bit taller! Ruge!" Scooby added, his own fears bubbling to the surface as they tried to grapple with the complexities of their chaotic reality.
In a moment of inspiration, Courage grabbed the computer's webcam, moved over to Muriel, and made her swallow it, drawing mixed expressions of confusion and horror from his friends.
"Little Courage guy, what are you doing? You better have a plan!" Shaggy questioned, his voice a growing blend of concern and confusion.
"I'm trying to get a better look at what's happening inside Muriel!" Courage replied defensively, feverishly operating the computer to unveil whatever bizarre phenomena was unfolding.
What appeared on the screen shocked them all.
"Grow! Expand! Explode!" A mean-looking carrot wearing a military helmet and pin repeated.
Courage screamed in sheer horror, flabbergasted at the bizarre sight.
"What the heck is that?!" Shaggy yelled, panic creeping into his voice.
"Row do we get that carrot out?" Scooby asked, dread etching deeper into his features.
Just then, Eustace stormed into the attic, Give me back my carrot!" he demanded.
The moment was chaotic: Courage yanked the webcam from Muriel, but to his horror, she continued to grow, her form looming larger and larger.
"Oh, my," Muriel said, as everyone scrambled to avoid being crushed under her expanding frame.
"Rhat do we do now?" Scooby queried, eyes darting nervously among his friends.
They all climbed onto Muriel's stomach, a slightly absurd tableau that somehow managed to sound rational in the madness of it all.
"We have to stop her before she becomes… a skyscraper!" Shaggy shouted, his voice echoing a mixture of hysteria and determination.
"Dogs! Nephew! There are ten million bucks inside Muriel, and it's mine!" Eustace shouted, as he grabbed Courage by the head, he yanked Scooby, by his collar while tugging Shaggy's shirt.
Courage's heart sank. "Farmer! No!" he cried out, panic surging through him as he realized what Eustace intended to do.
"Wait! No! This is a bad idea!" Shaggy protested, his eyes wide with dread and understanding of the impending doom.
"Rease, Rustace, stop!" Scooby shouted, nearly vibrating with anxiety.
But Eustace, fueled by his obsession with wealth, disregarded their desperate pleas and thrust the trio into Muriel's waiting mouth just as she accidentally swallowed them whole, sealing their fate in a massive, cartoonishly chaotic dilemma.
As they slid down into her stomach, they landed in a muddled heap, screams echoing against the soft, squishy walls that surrounded them.
"Where are we?!" Shaggy cried, dread rising fiercely in his chest.
"Guys, you're sitting on me!" Courage squeaked from beneath their weight.
Shaggy and Scooby to quickly scramble off him, their eyes wide with alarm.
"Rorry, Rourage!" Scooby apologized sheepishly.
Shaggy, however, was losing control: his heart raced with a frantic tempo, pounding painfully against his ribcage as cold sweat trickled down his brow. Every gasp felt like it might be his last.
Both Scooby and Courage exchanged worried glances.
"Raggy, are you okay?" Scooby asked, slowly realizing his friend was having a panic attack
"Like, this is even worse than the time me, Aunt Muriel and those teddy bears almost got digested by that worm!" Shaggy recalled, the memory surfacing and heightening his panic.
"Rit's okay Raggy. Re're in this together," Scooby reassured him, placing a reassuring paw on Shaggy's back.
Courage chimed in, "We'll get out of here, I promise," his voice filled with determination.
Just as a glimmer of hope flickered, a booming voice echoed within Muriel's belly, "Grow! Expand! Explode!" capturing their attention and sending fresh waves of horror through the cowardly trio as they turned to face a massive carrot that seemed bent on causing chaos.
Courage let out a scream of terror, and Shaggy and Scooby wore expressions of sheer panic as the carrot continued its ominous chant, "Grow! Expand! Explode!"
They quickly realized that they needed to act fast to save Muriel.
"We gotta get the carrot out before Aunt Muriel… explodes!" Shaggy exclaimed, his face glistening with cold sweat.
Courage took charge, shouting, "Guys! Me pull it!" as he grabbed the bottom of the giant carrot and strained against its stubbornness.
Shaggy and Scooby joined in, pulling with all their might, but the carrot remained firmly lodged inside Muriel, chanting its terrifying mantra.
"Rit's stuck tight!" Scooby strained, sweat pouring down his brow, as they looked up at the carrot with despair creeping into their hearts.
"Nooooo!" Courage screamed, realizing his owner's life hung in the balance.
"Aunt Muriel could explode at any minute!" Shaggy echoed in fear, their panic palpable.
But just then, Scooby's face lit up with determination: "Rait, guys, all we gotta do is get the carrot out of Ruriel and she won't explode!"
Propelled by panic, Courage brought forth the idea that garnered reluctant hope, "But the general said-" he began, only to be interrupted by Scooby's fervent resolve.
Scooby impatiently seized his cheeks, urging him to dismiss their fears about what the general had said: "Rorget what the general said! Revery parasite comes off with something!"
Renewed with determination, the three resolved to thwart the impending disaster. For five frantic minutes, they tried everything in their power.
Shaggy grabbed a joust lance, poking at the carrot only to inadvertently jab Muriel's stomach, leading to a defeated response from Courage, "Did it work?"
"No," Shaggy lamented, his enthusiasm rapidly wilting.
Next, Scooby attempted a slingshot, only to have the rock bounce back, prompting a chaotic scramble for cover.
"LIKE, NOTHING'S WORKING!" Shaggy shouted, his voice nearing a breaking point.
But Scooby quickly replied, confident, "Rait Raggy! Re're not cavemen! Re have technology!" Then, with newfound resolve, he began advancing on the carrot with his iPhone, determined to smash it, but to no avail.
Courage let out a disheartening response: "It didn't work."
The chant of the carrot throbbed ominously in their ears: "Grow! Expand! Explode!"
Courage's eyes darted in a frenzied panic, a creeping realization washing over him that time was quickly running out. "I know what I have to do…" he murmured, taking a deep breath that almost seemed to echo in the tense silence around them as he commenced munching on the bottom half of the carrot, a perilous decision fueled by desperate courage.
In the background, the unmistakable silhouettes of Shaggy and Scooby froze, their expressions shifting from casual curiosity to sheer horror as they grasped the gravity of the situation unfolding before them.
"Rourage! Ron't do it!" Scooby screamed, his eyes wide with disbelief and genuine concern as he watched his friend embark on this reckless path.
"Little pink dude, stop! You'll explode!" Shaggy exclaimed, his voice trembling, aghast at the sight of his friend defiantly pressing on despite their frantic warnings.
But Courage, determined and resolute, brushed aside their protests as he forced himself to chew through the revolting taste of the carrot; his mind was fixated solely on one thought: "I won't let you hurt Muriel…" he declared with a mouthful, an unwavering promise he made to protect his beloved owner.
The carrot, pulsating with an eerie, almost sinister energy, chanted in a mocking tone, urging him with manic glee: "Grow! Expand! Explode!
And as Courage continued to munch, each bite seemed to send tremors of dread through his small body. Then, suddenly, Muriel's boisterous burping acted like a catapult, launching Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage out of her vast stomach as they soared through the air before crashing down upon the ground.
"Oh, my!" Muriel said as she shrunk back down to standard size.
"Hey, who's got my carrot?" Eustace demanded as he ran to the three best friends with Muriel following right behind him.
Shaggy and Scooby exchanged worried glances filled with concern for Courage's predicament, the stakes now raised higher than ever.
"Little pink dude? Are you okay?" Shaggy asked cautiously, fear evident in his voice.
Courage managed a burp, accompanied by an awkward laugh and a funny face, trying to mask the unease boiling within him, "I feel so unwell."
However, the alarming realization struck with sudden intensity: Courage began to grow, towering at least ten feet high, an unthinkable transformation that rendered Shaggy and Scooby speechless and wide-eyed with horror.
Courage looked down at the shrinking humans and Great Dane and as the gravity of his situation pressed heavily upon him, his shock blended with terror, turning his once-cheerful demeanor into one of utter despair. Sweat poured down his face as he contemplated the potential calamity unfolding inside him: if that carrot was indeed expanding, it could lead to his doom. "I'M GONNA EXPLODE!" he cried out in sheer panic, his voice breaking through the chaos.
"Ruh-oh!" Scooby whimpered, his instincts kicking in.
"Dude, you're gonna blow!" Shaggy echoed, his eyes wide with fear.
"You dumb dog!" Eustace shouted.
"Oh-no!" Courage exclaimed, the realization sinking in deeper, prompting him to run as fast as his legs could carry him. "Help! Someone help me!" he yelled, sprinting in a flurry of desperation.
"COME BACK HERE WITH MY CARROT!" Eustace shouted, chasing after the giant beagle.
Glancing at each other with shared anxiety, Shaggy and Scooby resolved that they had to act swiftly.
"Re have to help Rourage!" Scooby cried out, his voice tinged with urgency.
"Taxi! Someone call a taxi!" Shaggy shouted, waving his arms frantically.
Just then, as if summoned by their urgent pleas, a taxi materialized out of thin air, and without a moment to lose, both friends hopped inside, ready to rescue their companion.
"Where to?" the taxi driver asked.
"Follow that giant dog!" Shaggy instructed, his determination igniting a newfound fire in their mission.
"Okey-dokey. No problem," the driver responded promptly, mashing the gas as he sped off towards the chaos unfolding on the horizon
With resolve in their eyes, Shaggy and Scooby embarked on their frantic chase, calling out to their friend in dire need.
"Rourage, hold on!" Scooby bellowed, igniting their spirits with the promise of aid.
"We're coming, buddy!" Shaggy affirmed, the urgency of their quest fueling every thought, every heartbeat, and every hopeful glance toward the fate of their beloved Courage.
Courage raced through the dimly lit landscape, pure panic coursing through his veins as he desperately sought help, his heart pounding like a war drum. The eerie silence of the wasteland was starkly interrupted by his frantic yelps and the sound of his tiny paws hitting the ground, echoing his urgency.
Just as hope began to fade, he caught sight of a military base in the distance, and with renewed determination, he dashed toward the figures that stood in stark contrast against the barren backdrop, a lieutenant and a general, engaged in an inexplicable game of tug of war with a hapless soldier caught in the middle. The confusion pierced Courage's panic as he skidded to a stop, bewildered by the scene unfolding before him.
Suddenly, the soldier spotted Courage, his eyes widening with terror, and in an instant, he abandoned his struggle, sprinting for the sanctuary of the base with a scream that would echo in the air long after he had disappeared.
"Well, I'll be plucked and breaded! The dog must have eaten the carrot!" the general said, surprised.
"Oh, snap," the lieutenant said, equally shocked.
Just then, the familiar figures of Shaggy and Scooby leaped out of a taxi, rushing into the fray, their urgency mirroring Courage's.
"Like, keep it running!" Shaggy panted as he sprinted toward his friend, worry etching itself across his face.
"Okee-dookie! No problem!" the driver replied, oblivious to the unfolding chaos.
As Shaggy and Scooby reached Courage, their concern was evident.
"Rourage, are you okay?" Scooby asked, eyes wide with empathy.
"N-no! I feel like I'm gonna burst any minute!" Courage stammered, his whole body trembling uncontrollably as the realization of his dire predicament clawed at his insides.
"Don't explode! That's an order, son!" the general shouted, pointing at Courage.
Courage's pleas were nearly drowned out by his own spiraling hysteria as he cried, "Please! Get... the carrot out of me!" Tears brimmed in his eyes as the fear of imminent doom loomed over him.
Shaggy quickly chimed in, "We need to help our best pal!"
Scooby echoed the sentiment, urging, "Rease, help Rourage!"
"I'm gonna have to disarm you," the general said before taking off his uniform, much to the bewilderment of Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage.
Thankfully, he merely changed into his swimming attire, a sight that raised a few eyebrows but also sparked a flicker of hope.
"Uh..." the lieutenant said, unsure what to say when the general tossed his uniform at him.
"Here goes nothing…" Courage murmured, summoning every last bit of courage he had to pick up the general and swallow him whole, hoping against hope that this wild gambit would save him from the explosive fate that awaited.
Inside his stomach, chaos reigned as the carrot, now a sentient explosive, chanted incessantly, "GROW! EXPAND! EXPLODE!"
The general, now in a disorienting limbo inside Courage, glared at the invasive carrot bomb.
"Lousy, volunteer army," the general said, glaring at the carrot.
"GROW! EXPAND! EXPLODE!"
"THAT'S FOR INSUBORDINATION!" the general said, jumping onto the carrot and removing its badge.
"GROW! EXPAND! EXPLODE!" The carrot said, staring at the general in confusion.
"Prepare for carrotectomy!" the general declared, pulling out some scissors.
He then took off the carrot's helmet, revealing a bunch of wires underneath. The general then began cutting the wires that he knew would deactivate the bomb safely. And it appeared to be working as the carrot's speech started to slur.
Meanwhile, Shaggy and Scooby exchanged anxious glances, fear creeping deeper as they wondered if the general could save their friend in time.
Shaggy, consumed by anxiety, could only hope that the general's intervention would be timely enough to save Courage. "Like, I hope he saves him in time!" he voiced, his own heart pounding in rhythm with Courage's panic.
Scooby, too, was caught in a wave of worry, urging Courage on with every ounce of hope, "Rang in there, Rourage!"
Am I going to die…? The situation escalated within as Courage's agony reached an unbearable peak; sweat dripped from his brow, and he cast a haunting gaze toward his friends, fear woven deeply in his voice as he gasped, "I'm gonna-!"
In a moment of climax, Courage gagged violently, and after a harrowing few seconds, he expelled both the carrot and the general in a dramatic release, relief washing over him as he shrank back to his usual, less oversized self.
"I'm... I'm okay..." Courage wheezed, overwhelmed yet relieved.
Shaggy and Scooby rushed to his side, embracing him tightly.
"Rou did it, buddy! Rou're okay!" Scooby cried, his happiness infectious.
"Man, we were so worried!" Shaggy echoed, relief washing over him.
"I thought it was the end!" Courage sighed, his heart fluttering in relief.
"Rhat was a close one!" Scooby remarked, unable to hide his lively expressions.
"Like, let's just stick to sandwiches from now on, okay?" Shaggy suggested with a chuckle.
Their laughter was a breath of fresh air, a momentary reprieve from the day's madness, and they felt grateful for Shaggy's ever-optimistic spirit.
"Well, lieutenant, it looks like we've done our job here," the general said.
Eustace came barreling by, stopping short at the sight of the remaining carrot.
"Uncle Eustace, whatever you do don't eat that-" Shaggy warned just as Eustace took a big bite, sealing their fate. "-carrot…" Shaggy admitted, eyes widening in horror.
"Hey, that carrot is military property!" the general shouted.
"You want it. You pay me. Ten million bucks," Eustace said, smirking.
"The carrot ain't worth a dime. I disarmed it. I cut the green wire," the general said, causing the lieutenant to shudder while slapping his forehead. "The blue wire? Red?"
"Not likely," the lieutenant said.
"Uh-oh," the general said, worried.
"I don't feel so good," Eustace said, as he started to grow.
Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage to exchange terrified glances, "Oh-no!/Roh-no!" they gasped in unison, realizing the imminent explosion that loomed.
Eustace grunted with his stomach gurgling.
"Oh, snap!" the lieutenant shouted.
Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage scrambled into the taxi.
"Like, Drive! Far away from here!" Shaggy implored, his voice laced with terror.
The driver, ever game, shouted back, "Okee-dokee! No problem!"
And just as the taxi sped off, a chaotic explosion echoed through the air as Eustace erupted behind them, leaving a spectacular disaster in his wake.
In the aftermath, inside the hospital, Eustace was reduced to a full-body cast, surrounded by a concerned doctor, Muriel, Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage, all pondering the absurdity of the situation.
"Yeah, he's in pretty bad shape from the impact of that carrot exploding from his stomach, but he'll pull through," the doctor said, sincerely.
"Thank you, doctor!" Muriel said with relief.
"I hope he learns something from all this…" Shaggy said knowingly, even though he held little hope for such a revelation taking root in Eustace's mind.
"Blah, blah, blah," Eustace complained.
"Unfortunately, there's still the matter of the bill," the doctor stated, as he handed Eustace a hefty bill
"I can't afford this!" Eustace stuttered.
"Actually, it looks like you've got just enough money to cover it," the doctor said, matter-of-factly.
Suddenly, a nurse rolled in, carting away the ten million dollars in prize money, and Eustace's agonizing wail of "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" echoed through the hospital, sealing the ludicrous yet intense series of events that had unfolded that day.
Well that's all for this chapter, next will be Profiles in Scooby and Courage. I like to thank schweenieboy for the quotes and ideas. Let me guys know in the reviews/comments of what should I do for the future episodes or next chapter. And what Courage should say in future chapters. Until then this is vakarns signing out.
Profiles in Scooby and Courage: The family go to a county fair and have their silhouettes drawn. When the silhouettes come to life later that night and replace Muriel and Eustace, Shaggy, Scooby and Courage must convince the creatures it is more fun to be paper than people.