For my first story ever, I bring together two of my top favorite cartoons of the 2000s into one X-Over short story that I like to consider part-inspiration, part-parody to the Garfield's Halloween Adventure TV special (for those of you who haven't seen that one yet, I highly recommend you check it out first). Hope you enjoy the story!
Disclaimer: I claim zero ownership of Kim Possible, Xiaolin Showdown, the shows' characters, and anything in relation to Garfield, and other mentioned cartoon characters. The story takes place in an alternate universe (but you already knew that) with cartoon characters living in our world—sort of like Roger Rabbit or Cartoon Network's "CN City" bumpers.
Rated K.
It was around three o'clock, a dusky autumn morning, over at an ordinary-looking boarding house. Amongst one of these rooms slept Dojo, the Dragon companion to Xiaolin monk Raimundo Pedrosa, while a modest-looking TV was still on and fuzzy.
After the fuzz cleared away, an announcer's soft-sounding voice could be heard. "We now return to the Y.A.W.N. Morning News, channel 2000. Coming up next is your friend and mine, Flunky the Jester, with an important announcement."
Dojo was still fast asleep, snoring away in his little bed, before the aforementioned "Flunky" came on and spoke, all loud and proud in a voice that sounded like Phil LaMarr trying to imitate the Mad Hatter: "GOOOOOOOOOD MORNING, KIDS!"
"YAAAHHHHH!" screamed Dojo as he jumped out of his sleep, before rubbing his wide, yet tired-looking eyes.
"Time to rise and shine with some exercise, hoo-hoo! We wouldn't wanna be LAZY, do we? Can't get all LETHARGIC today, boys and girls!"
After calming himself down from the shock, Dojo grumbled angrily. "Every morning it's the same thing. When will those people boot that dumb jester off the air?" The Dragon then dove rummaged around in his bed for something.
"We gotta get in shape for tonight, kids! Why, do you ask? Hoo-HOO, 'cause you're gonna need that energy in order to get a chance at lots of CANDY, right?" asked the weird man in jester garb.
"All right then," Dojo smiled as he held up the remote to the TV before pointing at it and getting ready to press a button, "now I'll finally be able to turn off that—" suddenly the Dragon remembered Flunky mentioning candy—"wait a minute. Candy? Did he say candy?"
"That's right, boys and girls!" grinned Flunky. "Because tonight is HALLOWEEN, woo-hoo! That's why we wanna be in especially great shape, am I right? Don't forget your costumes and your bags, 'cause we wanna get a lot of CANDY, don't we!"
"Yes we do!" cheered the Dragon before turning off the TV. "Boy, Halloween's my kind of holiday—not like all those other stupid holidays. No bother with decorating Christmas trees, no silly romantic comedy movies on TV, no getting up early at unspeakable hours just for brunch, no relatives or friends crashing the place—forget all that noise. Going out and getting candy—simple, kinda like me." Flopping back into his bed again, Dojo sighed happily as he looked up at the ceiling with his claws behind his head.
Several hours later, while still completely under the covers of his bed, Dojo was enthusiastically chanting the word "candy" over and over again, "Candy, candy-candy-candy-candy-candy-candy-candy!" Finally hopping out of bed with genuine gusto, the Dragon began stretching himself out. "Halloween already. Boy, what a glorious day to go out trick-or-treating. Especially for the candy, candy-candy-candy-candy—whoa, steady yourself, Dojo ol' boy! First, gotta get a costume, and then a sack—a sack to hold all that candy, candy-candy-candy—heh-heh-heh, easy there. But first, I think I'll go see what Raimundo and the other boarders are up to, today."
With the exception of Raimundo, there were no other boarders present at that time, except for the aforesaid Xiaolin monk's spy friends, Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. The three teen heroes were busy carving out pumpkins. The first one had a carved-out silhouette of looked to be the Incredibles' insignia, while the second one had Batman's insignia. The third one, meanwhile, had a traditional jack-o-lantern face on it.
"I'm telling you guys," Raimundo said after finishing his pumpkin, "these will look great at the Hero Halloween Bash tonight."
"I for one can't wait—" Kim smiled, a nostalgic look in her eyes—"meeting up with friends old and new alike, setting up the decorations," she then placed a hand on Ron's shoulder, "dancing with our respective love of our lives."
"True that, KP," the blond-haired teen smiled back, "and don't forget the food and games, am I right?"
"Hey, who am I to argue at any of that?" smirked the Xiaolin monk.
Rufus the Naked Mole-Rat then popped out of the jack-o-lantern. "TA-DAAA!"
The three teens got a good, light-hearted chuckle out of the quirky rodent's antics.
"What's up?" asked Dojo as he (metaphorically) stepped into the picture.
"Oh morning, Dojo," Raimundo announced, "and a Happy Halloween."
"Back atcha, my friends."
Kim set one of the pumpkins down to show the Dragon. "We're just carving up pumpkins for tonight's Hero Halloween Bash."
"Pretty cool-looking, huh?" Ron inquired. "Why don't you join us—it'll be a blast."
"Woo-hoo!" Rufus cheered.
"Nah," Dojo declined, "I've got plans of my own tonight—I'm going trick-or-treating. And just because I'm a couple thousand years old doesn't mean I'm too old for it."
"Ay, chillax dude—" rest-assured the blond-haired spy—"I totally get you there. But lately I've been changing up my Halloween for a while."
"How so?"
Her eyes slyly half-closed, the spy girl wrapped one arm around her boyfriend. "Does he really need a reason?"
The Xiaolin monk couldn't help but snicker in amusement at his Dragon friend's reaction.
"Never mind!" stated the Dragon as he threw his arms to the sides like an umpire. "Sorry I even asked. . . . Anyone gonna eat that?"
Seeing his Dragon friend pointing down at a filled bowl, Raimundo raised an eyebrow with a deadpan voice. "Not if you like pumpkin innards."
His face momentarily twisted in disgust, Dojo pushed the bowl of pumpkin innards away from him. "NOPE."
"I know what's going on, heh-heh." The Xiaolin monk then pulled out a breakfast tray laden with eggs, bacon, toast with jam, an apple—the works, basically. "Need to eat breakfast still, Dojo?"
"Thanks, but no thanks," politely declined Dojo, "I need to save room for all that candy, candy, candy-candy-candy-candy! . . . Oh, what the heck, you talked me into it. I could use the protein and vitamins to keep my strength up, and some caffeine and sugar to keep me awake, and a little extra fiber never hurt anyone." He then took the entire tray much to the three teenagers' blank faces. "Later."
After Dojo left, Rufus looked thoughtful about something.
Later that day, Dojo was up in the attic, pondering and pacing. "Now what costume will I wear tonight? C'mon Dojo, you gotta think—be creative. What shall I be?"
In a twist of deus ex machina, Rufus appeared from off-screen before the Dragon accidentally bumped into him. "Oof! Hey, what's the big idea, Rufus?" scolded Dojo. "It's not nice to startle people like that."
"Hmph!" glared the Naked Mole-Rat.
"Oh, wait a minute. Don't me, heh-heh-heh, you convinced the others to let you go trick-or-treating with me, huh?"
Rufus nodded happily. "Yeah, yeah, yeah!"
Hey, if I bring Rufus along with me, thought Dojo, then that means I won't have to get only one, but TWO sacks of candy! Dojo, you are a genius! . . . I know that.
"Well now," knowingly smirked the Dragon, "Halloween is a special night for you, Rufus old buddy. You know why?"
The Naked Mole-Rat just shrugged, mumbling as if to say "I dunno."
Putting an arm around his friend's shoulder Dojo continued. "No worries, I'll tell you. Halloween is the special night, where Naked Mole-Rats help their Dragon friends get candy."
Rufus folded his arms and looked like he was pouting.
"And if he does a good job, he gets a WHOLE piece of candy of his very own."
"Boo-yah!" cheered the gullible rodent as he pumped a fist.
"You still wanna go?" smiled the wise-cracking reptile.
"Yeahyeahyeahyeahyeah!"
"All righty then, let's get ourselves some costumes."
Working together, the two animal friends opened the chest containing old costumes before the wise-cracking reptile jumped in and started throwing the assorted costumes on the floor.
"I gotta say," announced Dojo after climbing out and wiping his brow, "it's a good thing the owners of the boarding house don't throw anything away."
Rufus responded with a thumbs-up. "True that."
"Now what shall I be? There are so many sides to me. I could be anything I want: a vampire, a mummy, a pirate, a computer hacker, a basketball star's agent, a hobo-astronaut-clown."
The Naked Mole-Rat snickered at the last idea.
The Dragon wagged a claw disapprovingly. "Hey, don't laugh—that costume won me three contests in a row." Pausing for a moment, he clicked his claws. "I got it."
After diving back into the pile of costumes, Dojo hopped back out wearing what looked to be (at least the top half) of a knight costume—complete with a toy sword.
"Thou shalt may chooseth, companion o' mine!" announced the Dragon in Arthurian vernacular.
Hopping into the pile, Rufus came back looking like a squire.
"Zounds, thou hath chosen wisely, my squire! Cometh now, candy is afoot!"
"Uh-huh!" nodded the Naked Mole-Rat affirmatively.
After safely loading up the carved pumpkins into their car, the three teens were ready to go—Ron and Kim were dressed up like they were Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, while Raimundo dressed up like the Blue Falcon.
"Anybody seen Dojo or Rufus?" shrugged Raimundo. "It's not like them to leave without saying goodbye."
"Fear not, yon cyan-colored warrior," proudly announced Dojo as he and Rufus greeted their human friends, "for we hath arriven!"
"Why are talking funny, dude?" Ron asked.
"Isn't that how knights would talk back then?" shrugged the Dragon, dropping the act.
"Are you sure you two don't want to join us?" Kim asked with arms akimbo.
Dojo then halfway picked up his act again. "Sure we're sure, fair maiden. While you three go off and enjoy thy festival, we'll be racking up candy points. Well, 'candy points' to paraphrase—I don't want my knight shtick going stale."
Raimundo then pulled out from the back of the car a pair of sacks. "All right then, here are your bags. Stay safe, and don't be out too late, okay?"
"Fare-thee-well," called out Dojo as he and Rufus headed out, "and may All Hallows Eve be grand!"
The Xiaolin monk couldn't help but shake his head in amusement. "Those two, sometimes."
Along the way, Dojo sang a Medieval-style ditty before he and Rufus hit the streets, all bustling with children in various costumes.
Some of these costumes, however, were scary to Rufus—vampires, ghosts, goblins, ghouls, werewolves—the variety of monster costumes was overwhelming. They nearly put the Naked Mole-Rat in a tizzy before he huddled up to his Dragon friend, much to the latter's annoyance.
"Rufus, quit crowding me," scolded Dojo, "there's nothing to be afraid of—these are just kids going trick-or-treating—just like us. Take a look here." The Dragon stopped a kid in a ghost sheet for a moment before showing the trick-or-treater's werewolf-like feet (unbeknownst to him). "You see? Nothing to worry over."
Looking back and finally noticing the werewolf feet on the trick-or-treating ghost, Dojo and Rufus screamed in terror as they ran off. However, it turned out the werewolf-ghost really was an ordinary kid—just wearing socks that looked like werewolf feet—as he took off his sheet and looked at the faraway animal friends in confusion.
Aside from that brief moment of panic, the rest of the night went swimmingly for the Medieval-clad duo, as they went door to door, racking up those "candy points" (to re-quote Dojo) in a trick-or-treating montage to the tune of catchy music.
After visiting each house in the neighborhood, the two friends stopped a moment alongside a river as Rufus hummed The Nightmare Before Christmas theme song "This Is Halloween."
"I gotta say, Rufus," smiled Dojo, "it's been a successful evening. . . . Hang on a second, I just had a brilliant idea. See those houses over on the other side of the river?"
The Naked Mole-Rat nodded. "Uh-huh."
"I say we row over there and get more candy. It's ALL ours for the taking. But wait a minute, am I being too selfish and greedy? Am I forgetting the true spirit of Halloween? Should I share my candy with those less fortunate? . . . Nah, I'm going all the way. Come, my squire, our journey hath not even begun!"
Rufus just shrugged before following Dojo to a small rowboat.
After untying it from the dock and settling in, the two friends slowly floated down—not quite in the direction of the other houses across the river.
"Looks like we're caught up in the current. Squire, fetch the oars!" called out Dojo.
"What oars?" shrugged Rufus.
"What do you mean 'what oars'? Aren't there any here?"
"Uh-uh."
"Ohhhhhh. . . . Squire Rufus, I don't know how to break it to you but, . . . WE'RE DOOOOOMED!"
After a while of floating along, the Dragon sat there lamenting and sighing. "Some knight I turned out to be. I can't even get a rowboat across a river. Now we'll probably float out to see and never be heard from again." He then turned to his Naked Mole-Rat friend as he patted his friend's shoulder. "Thanks, pal. . . . If we ever get back to land, I'm gonna give up being a knight—stop pretending to be something I'm not. I'm better just being who I am: me, Dojo, the wise-cracking Dragon—nothing more, nothing less. After all, the best a person—animal, human, or otherwise—can be is themselves."
Tapping his friend's shoulder, Rufus cheered with excitement. "Hurray! Land-ho, land-ho!"
"Now what? . . ." Looking in his friend's direction, Dojo looked at an island with a distant-looking house before he jumped with newfound hope and excitement. "Land! Finally! Luck smiles on us now, old buddy!"
As the rowboat stopped at the island's dock, the two friends found themselves looking up at an old, weathered house—with Bats flying around, an Owl hooting off-screen, and Wolves howling in the distance.
Seeing the old house in its entire eerie splendor (to use lightly), the Dragon nodded with approval. "Nice touch. I see a light in that house, so there's gotta be someone living there. C'mon Rufus, let's see if we can get someone to help us."
So, having unwittingly leaving their sacks full of candy behind, the two friends walked up to the old house.
Looking through the window, all Dojo could see was an old cushioned armchair in front of a roaring fireplace. "Hmm, no one inside, pal. Let's go investigate."
After jumping up and fiddling with the doorknob, the Dragon was able to open it before he and his Naked Mole-Rat friend entered. In the house, aside from the fireplace and armchair, were a dilapidated bookcase, an old writing desk and chair, and a small cupboard.
"Looks deserted—" Dojo observed—"let's go warm up by the fire." Getting in front of the live fireplace, the two animal friends warmed themselves up. "Ah, that's better."
Turning around, the two friends found a spooky-looking figure sitting in the armchair: a scowling grizzled-looking old man with dark rings around his sunken-in eyes, a hooked nose turning downward, and a long thick white beard. All he wore beneath his black cloak were a woolen sweater and a pair of pants—both of which looked too big for his thin frame—so thin that his fingers were practically bone.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" screamed Dojo and Rufus as they ran around in a circle.
The old man held up either bony hand. "Cease your screams, you two. That is enough to stop the heart of even the strongest man." The old man's voice was rheumy and deep with a hint of a British accent—a voice that almost sounded like Christopher Lee's voice (if he were still alive).
Dojo and Rufus huddled together, wide-eyed and trembling in fear.
Leaning forward in his armchair, the old man waved a finger at the animal duo. "You picked a bad time to come visiting, my friends. It could be the worst night of your lives."
"I knew it!" moaned the Dragon before dragging the Naked Mole-Rat with him. "C'mon, Rufus—let's not bother the man anymore."
"Stay where you are!" commanded the old man before the two friends moved back to their place in front of the fireplace. "What I'm about to tell you has never been told to another living soul. The island holds a deep dark secret for over five hundred years. A long time ago, a warlord and his band of marauders held up here on the island. They had conquered many a foe, and looted many a kingdom from the old world. They were pursued by the kingdom's top-ranking troops. They were so laden with their ill-gotten gains, they had to bury the treasure before making their escape. However, before they left the island on that night many years ago, they made a blood oath to return for their treasure on Halloween night when the moon was full—even if it meant returning from the dead."
Gulping in fear, Dojo looked out the window and saw the waning moon slowly getting fuller. "Are you sure it's gonna happen?"
The old man nodded. "I am more than sure, my friends—I know it will happen. The warlord and his marauders had a ten-year-old wizard's apprentice with them. It was I, who was that boy. My training in magic has given me the ability to conjure spells and potions that would allow me to live a life much longer than any ordinary man."
"Whoa!" breathed out Rufus in stunned amazement.
"Yeah," agreed Dojo as he redirected his attention toward his friend, "over five hundred years old and he still doesn't look a day over ninety-something."
"Silence!" the old man commanded again. "I have kept myself alive all these years, over the course of a long history, and settled so as to make sure nobody finds the treasure. I never took the treasure, for the marauders will find me. There is no escaping them. They know we are here. They know we are here."
The two friends stood there in silent stupor before Dojo broke the silence. "Well, that made up my mind. C'mon Rufus, let's blow the joint. Say old-timer, wanna join us?"
To the two friends' surprise, the brief moment their heads were turned, no trace of the old man was found—his armchair completely abandoned.
Dojo and Rufus ran outside and watched as the old man took their rowboat and used a broken tree branch to move it.
"My boat! My candy! They're gone!" moaned the Dragon in despair before he and his Naked Mole-Rat friend sat on the stoop, both looking defeated. "My boat's gone, my candy's gone, ghost marauders are coming, and we're out later than we planned. I just wanna go home."
The two friends looked up and saw the moon was full, glowing eerily against the dark night sky.
"Wait a minute," Dojo realized, "the moon's full and I don't see any ghosts. Just as I suspected—that old man was just some lunatic."
Rufus nodded in happy agreement. "Yeah, lunatic."
The two friends' smiles disappeared as they looked out at the river, and watched as ghostly-looking skeletons of the marauders from the old man's tale appear from the water.
Panicking, Dojo and Rufus ran back into the house and hid in the old cupboard as they watched the ghost marauders entered the house, disappeared into the floor boards, busted a hole in them, and pulled up the chest full of assorted treasure before repairing the floor boards and setting the treasure down to admire their centuries-old spoils of war.
While they watched, Rufus' face twisted as he tried holding in a sneeze. Panicking, Dojo held a claw under his friend's nose before the feeling subsided. Wiping their brows, the two friends shared a relieved smile for only a moment.
"ACHOOO!" sneezed the Dragon, accidentally burning up the cupboard into a burnt-up outline before crumbling into ashes.
Hearing the sneeze, the ghost marauders whipped themselves around and started advancing on the two friends.
"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" wailed Dojo as he and Rufus made a break for it, running past the dumbfounded ghosts. "We gotta swim for it, pal!"
After the two friends jumped into the river, the Dragon remembered that his knight costume was made with real metal and it was weighing him down. The Naked Mole-Rat took off his squire's costume, plunged down after his friend, and grabbed him by the tail pulling him up (and causing his costume to slip off of him).
After swimming to the other side of the shore, the two friends plopped down and gained their breath.
"Thanks, buddy," Dojo smiled tiredly, "I owe you one."
Rufus returned the same tired smile.
The two animal friends walked the rest of the way back to the edge of town.
While Rufus looked happy to be nearly home again, Dojo still looked crestfallen. "The old man was right, Rufus—it's been the worst night of my life. I've had nightmares look like birthday parties compared to tonight."
Something caught the Naked Mole-Rat's eye before he happily pointed his Dragon friend in the direction he was facing. Both looking in the same direction, the two friends spotted their rowboat and their two sacks of candy.
"Well what do you know about that?" stated Dojo before speaking like a knight again. "'Tis really be my spoils of conquest. Our tale haseth a happy ending after all. Let us be heading home now, shalt we?"
"Boo-yah!" cheered Rufus before the two animals grabbed the sacks of candy before marching back home.
"So the marauders got their treasure, and we got the candy, candy, candy-candy-candy!"
"Rufus old buddy," announced Dojo as the two animals were finally back in the boarding house, "I'm about to do something that I thought I wouldn't do tonight. But considering how you saved my neck during our late excursion back on the island, I want to give you something."
"Yeah, Dojo?" nodded Rufus in anticipation.
"Yeah, something of worth, something of great sacrifice." The Dragon then grabbed either candy sack and handed it to his friend. "I want to give you half of the candy."
"All right!" cheered the Naked Mole-Rat before accepting the bag and holding out a paw for a high-five. "Huh? Huh?"
Dojo just shrugged in amusement. "Oh, why not?" And so, the wise-cracking reptile returned the quirky rodent's high-five.
"Hey Dojo, Rufus, we're back!" called Raimundo from off-screen.
"Looks like we made it back in time before our friends returned. What do you say we watch something on TV, pal?" Dojo asked his friend.
Rufus answered back with a double-thumbs-up.
"Okay then. Let's see what's on." Fiddling with the remote, the Dragon turned on the TV and much to his and the Naked Mole-Rat's surprise, there was the old man dressed like a wizard.
"Good evening," announced the old man, "and welcome to the all-night fantasy movie festival."
Turning off the TV, Dojo redirected his attention to his rodent friend. "On second thought, I think I'll catch up on some much needed sleep. Whaddya say?"
Rufus yawned before nodding. "Mm-hm."
"Couldn't have said it better myself."
And with that, Dojo and Rufus propped themselves up against their respective bags of candy and fell fast asleep.
The End
And so, that was my first FanFiction—and on Halloween, to boot. Hope everyone enjoyed the story, and be sure to have a Happy Halloween! :)