This is my first mass crossover story in which Arthur's simple day turns into a massive development.
Disclaimer: I do NOT claim the rights to any of the characters used here.
All characters, themes, and environments are copyrighted to their respective owners.
I hope you enjoy!
Chapter One: Special Delivery
"Have you ever noticed that what starts out small can get blown way out of proportions?" Arthur Read asked the camera, "If I had a dollar for every time something small turned big, I could buy a Bionic Bunny deluxe action figure three times over. That's why it's always important to try your best to resolve things before they get too out of hand." Suddenly, the phone rang.
"Arthur!" called Jane Read, "It's for you!"
"That's all for now;" said Arthur as he shut off his camera, "Looks like it's time to go." He went downstairs to where his mother was holding the phone. Once he took it, he said, "Hello?"
"Arthur!" said the voice on the other end, "I'll all set to go! Are you"
"Ten-Four, Buster!" said Arthur, "All systems are go."
"One thing, though…" said Buster, "Is the sentry off her guard?"
"I haven't seen her since this morning;" said Arthur, "So I guess the coast is clear. See you in five, Buster!" and he hung up the phone.
"Going to see Buster, Arthur?" asked Jane.
"Yes, Mom;" said Arthur, "We've got a special project we agreed to do together, and I have to meet him soon."
"Okay then;" said Jane, "Just remember, dinner is at seven."
"I'll be home by then." Arthur promised. He grabbed his backpack and went outside to his bike. As he was getting on, he looked around twice, trying to see if he could find a certain someone. However, the person he had in mind was nowhere to be found, so he put his helmet on and pedaled off down the street. Arthur didn't realize it, but as he reached the end of the block, the tree in his yard rustled, and a voice said,
"Trying to sneak off, huh, Arthur? Not without me! Heh-heh-heh!"
Arthur quickly reached Buster's house where he found his best friend on his bike waiting to go.
"Glad to see you, Arthur;" said Buster, "Are you sure she didn't follow you?"
"I didn't see her while I was on my way here;" said Arthur, "So I guess she isn't following us."
"Do you think she know about… the package?" Buster asked in a whisper.
"It's a pretty safe bet that she doesn't;" said Arthur, "She overheard our conversation yesterday, but no matter how many times she asked me, I didn't tell her what it was."
"No point taking chances, though;" said Buster, "We better take the long way 'round. That way we'll wear her out if she is following us."
"Good idea." said Arthur. The boys set off on their bikes, constantly looking over their shoulders, just in case. They rode past the school; they rode past the library; they rode past the sewer treatment plant; they rode past the railway yard; and in ten minutes, they reached their destination; a crumbly old apartment complex nestled behind some small shops.
"This is it?" asked Buster.
"This is the address he gave us;" said Arthur, "We might as well go in." The boys parked their bikes and entered the complex through the double doors. "We're looking for apartment number ten." said Arthur, "I see fourteen… Seventy-one… and ten!" Arthur and Buster walked up to the door of the blue apartment and knocked on the door.
"GO AWAY!" a gruff voice yelled, "YOU'LL HAVE MY RENT TOMORROW!"
"What a grouch…" said Arthur.
"It's his cover-up;" said Buster, "He's kinda paranoid." Buster cleared his throat and said, "Polly-wolly bing-bang! Dance with an orangutan!" The door slowly opened, and a man with dark gray hair and a dark gray mustache poked his head out.
"Yep;" he said, "That's the password I gave you. C'mon in." Arthur and Buster entered the apartment (which was falling apart at the seams) and sat down on the busted sofa."
"So…" said Arthur, "Could you please tell me your name?"
"Raymond…" the man answered, "Don Raymond. I've called you boys here for a matter of life and death."
"What is it?" asked Buster.
"You see," said Mr. Raymond, "For the past few years I've been scraping by on whatever cash I could make, but now I've made a discovery that could make me rich!" He went into his kitchen and pulled out a platter of cookies. "I've discovered the secret to making the most delectable cookies in the world;" he announced, "And once I patent the recipe, every bakery and restaurant in the world will throw money at me for the rights to bake and sell my cookies."
"Gosh, Mr. Raymond," said Buster, "Are your cookies really that good?"
"Try one for yourselves, boys." said Mr. Raymond as he set the platter down. Arthur and Buster each took a cookie and sniffed them; they certainly smelled very good. Gingerly, the boys took a bite… and huge smiles broke out across their faces.
"Sweet cookies and cream!" declared Buster, "These are the best cookies I've ever eaten!"
"You can say that again!" Arthur agreed.
"Sweet cookies and cream!" declared Buster, "These are the best cookies I've…"
"I didn't mean literally!" Arthur said.
"I told you you'd like them;" said Mr. Raymond as the boys wolfed their cookies down, "The thing is… I need to get them to the patent office as soon as possible, and I can't leave the apartment because Mr. Belly will think I'm trying to escape my rent payment. I have just enough for this month's rent, but I need the rights to this recipe as soon as possible, so I'll be sending the recipe with a gift-package of cookies to the patent office, and I need you to mail it for me. Normally I'd entrust a job like this to Chavo or Quiqo, but I can't trust those idiots with something this important."
"That sounds easy…" said Arthur, "But what's in it for us?"
"If you can get the package to the office and send it super-triple priority," said Mr. Raymond, "I'll pay each of you two-hundred dollars once the royalties start coming in. And I'll stay in touch so I can keep you updated on my promise."
"Sounds good to me;" said Arthur, "If you could just get the package ready, we'll be ready too." Mr. Raymond immediately set to work preparing his package. He placed the cookies into a plastic case and wrapped the case in bubble-wrap; then he rolled up his recipe until it was about the thickness of a pencil; then he placed the cookies and the recipe into a box, and then he wrapped that box in bubble-wrap and placed it inside another box. Then he placed a few stamps on the box and wrote on the address and return address.
"It's all set, Boys;" said Mr. Raymond as he placed the box into Arthur's backpack, "I'm counting on you to get this to the post office in one-piece. If you bungle this job, I'll be living on the streets for the rest of my life; however long that may be."
"We won't let you down, Mr. Raymond;" said Arthur, "Your cookies and recipe are in good hands." Mr. Raymond knelt down and placed his hand over his heart.
"Hasten forth, Arthur Read and Buster Baxter;" he said, "See this parcel to its destination in good health and swift time."
"Uh… sure!" said Buster, "Whatever you said." Arthur and Buster saluted Mr. Raymond and exited the apartment. Once they were gone, Mr. Raymond frowned.
"Whatever I said…?" he asked no one in particular, "Kids these days; go figure…"
Arthur and Buster headed out of the complex, where they made a shocking discovery.
"Our tires!" cried Buster, "They've been flattened!"
"And I think I can guess who's behind it!" said Arthur.
"SURPRISE!" a voice shouted. Arthur and Buster wheeled around to see…
"DW!" Arthur said, "Why am I not surprised?"
"What?" asked DW, "Why aren't you surprised? I snuck up behind you and surprised you."
"I figured you'd follow me everywhere when you wouldn't stop asking me questions;" said Arthur, "So it's not too much of a shock that you're here."
"I knew you were up to something when you got that phone call;" said DW, "You didn't think I was going to let you do something without telling me what it was, did you?"
"Well it doesn't matter if you know that we are up to something;" said Arthur, "Because no matter what you do, we're not telling you what it is!"
"Yeah!" said Buster, "We'll never tell you about the super delicious cookies we're taking to the post office!" He realized his mistake too late and face-palmed himself.
"Cookies?" asked DW, "I'm not gonna let you keep those cookies all to yourself! Give me some!"
"Forget it, DW!" said Arthur, "These cookies are going to Alexandria, and there's nothing you can do about it!"
"I always knew you were stupid, Arthur!" said DW, "What's the point of having cookies if you're not going to eat them?"
"A man is depending on us to mail them to Alexandria;" said Arthur, "It could change his whole future! Don't you care about that?"
"No!" said DW, "If I don't know him, why should I care about him? I thought Mom and Dad warned you about strangers!"
"Look!" cried Arthur, "It's Mary Moo Cow!"
"Huh…?" asked DW as she looked behind her. Arthur and Buster took the chance and bolted. "HEY!" yelled DW, "Come back here!" She jumped on her bike and began to give chase.
"What do we do, Arthur?" asked Buster, "We can't outrun her without our bikes!"
"Head for the tracks!" said Arthur. He and Buster sprinted in the direction of the railway yard.
"Arthur;" said Buster, "You aren't seriously thinking of hopping a train, are you?"
"Not really!" said Arthur, "We're gonna lose her amongst the freight cars!" Arthur and Buster ran for the level crossing, the only way into the yard, when they heard a chugging sound.
"WHOO-WHOO!" a whistle sounded.
"Oh no!" cried Arthur, "A train's coming through!" Sure enough, Arthur and Buster could see a red 2-6-0 steam engine coming through the yard at a steady pace towards the crossing. What struck Arthur and Buster as odd was the fact that the engine had a face on it! As the train reached the level crossing, Arthur heard a shout of,
"Come back here!" He turned to see DW riding towards them!
"Jump on, Buster!" he said, and grabbed a hold of a passing goods wagon.
"Don't try this stunt at home, kids!" Buster grumbled as he grabbed the next wagon and climbed aboard. DW reached the crossing just as the brake van cleared the road.
"You're not getting away that easy!" she shouted; and after straightening her helmet, she started riding on the tracks, chasing the train.
Arthur and Buster somehow managed to climb on top of the goods wagons and reunite.
"I think we lost her!" said Arthur.
"Yeah…" said Buster, "She'll never be able to keep up with a train."
"Just in case," said Arthur, "We better go up front and talk to the engineer; just so we know where we're going."
"I just know we're gonna regret this…" said Buster; and he and Arthur started jumping from wagon to wagon to move to the front of the train. When they finally reached the tender, they looked into the cab and saw the strangest thing they had ever seen; a pretty Irish Setter dog standing on her hind legs was operating the engine's controls! On top of that, a small Cocker Spaniel was shoveling the coal into the firebox.
"Um… excuse me!" said Arthur, "Could I talk to you for a second?" The two dogs turned around and gasped in shock.
"What the… How did you two get on board?" The Setter demanded.
"We had to jump on at the yard;" said Arthur, "We're being chased by my crazy sister."
"Well that's no excuse for jumping a moving train!" said the Setter, "Don't you know you might have been killed?"
"Is everything alright back there, Sasha?" asked a British voice.
"Fine, James!" said the Setter, "Just a few stowaways is all!"
"Are you boys trying to go somewhere?" asked the Cocker Spaniel.
"We have to get these cookies to Alexandria;" said Buster, "A man's livelihood depends on it."
"Well…" said Sasha, "It just so happens that we're due to terminate at Alexandria Station before heading back to The Island of Sodor, so I think we can have you boys along; if you're willing to help out."
"We'll do whatever it takes, Miss Sasha;" said Buster, "You can count on it."
"By the way…" said Sasha, "What are your names?"
"Well," said Arthur, "I'm Arthur Read, and this is my friend, Buster Baxter."
"Nice to meet you, Arthur;" said Sasha, "I'm Sasha La Fleur."
"And my name is Winifred Bessamay de Winkerville;" said the Cocker Spaniel, "But everyone calls me Bess."
"I can see why…" said Buster before Arthur elbowed him.
"By the way…" said Arthur, "What are a pair of dogs doing running a steam engine?"
"Our boyfriends, Charlie and Itchy, are on vacation;" said Bess, "So we volunteered to help out with this job."
"Luckily we don't have far to go;" said Sasha, "We pass through Adventure Bay, Zootopia, Dragon Land, The Pridelands, some place called The Cul-De-Sac, and Equestria before the final stretch to Alexandria."
"That's perfect!" said Buster, "Why mail the package to the patent office when we can just take it there ourselves?"
"One more question;" said Arthur, "Who is James?"
"Oh, he's the engine;" said Sasha, "He's the number five of the Great Northwestern Railway on The Island of Sodor and a bit of a nuisance."
"I can hear you, you know!" James shouted.
"I wanted you to hear me!" Sasha shouted back. Arthur and Buster just looked at each other; this was going to be one strange ride.
It didn't take long for James' train to reach Adventure Bay. James slowed down through the station, but didn't stop. Surprisingly, just five minutes after the train passed through, DW came riding up to the platform; rattled and completely out of breath.
"You won't… get away… from me… Arthur…!" she gasped, "I'll… I'll get those cookies… from you…"
"Oh…" said a voice, "Hello there." DW looked up to see a girl with blond hair standing on the platform.
"Hi there;" said DW, "Did a train come by already?"
"Actually it did;" said the girl, "By the way, my name is Katie."
"I'm DW;" said DW, "And I've just got to catch that train!"
"Why's that?" asked Katie.
"My stupid brother got some cookies," said DW, "And he won't share them with me. He's on that train right now."
"Oh my;" said Katie, "That is serious. You know, DW, when there's trouble in Adventure Bay, all we have to do is yelp for help!"
"Yelp for help?" asked DW, "What does that mean?"
"It means that I know a friend that can probably help you." said Katie. She pulled out her phone and made a call.
"Ryder here…" the voice on the other end said.
"Ryder!" said Katie, "We've got a bit of a problem at the train station; a girl's mean brother won't share his cookies and escaped on a train."
"We'll be right there, Katie;" said the voice, "No job is too big; no pup is too small!"
"Good news, DW;" said Katie, "Ryder and the Paw Patrol are coming to help you out."
"That's great!" said DW, "Can they really catch that train and get the cookies from my brother?"
"I haven't seen the Paw Patrol fail at anything yet;" said Katie, "I think they'll be able to help you out just fine."
Further up the line, James had stopped in the city of Zootopia to take on water.
"Wow!" said Buster, "I had no idea that such a city could be built!"
"It certainly is amazing, isn't it?" said Sasha. Just then there was a wail of a police siren. Arthur, Buster, Sasha, and Bess looked out the window to see a small police trike pull up to the track and stop. A fox and a rabbit stepped out of the trike and flashed their badges.
"Officers Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps;" said the rabbit, "Just here to inspect your cargo."
"Of course;" said Sasha, "Right this way please." She got down from the cab and led Nick and Judy towards the back of the train.
"What's all that about?" asked Arthur.
"They're just double checking for anything that's not supposed to be there;" said Bess, "In these days, you can never be too careful." It didn't take long for Judy and Nick to come back with Sasha.
"Your cargo's in perfect order;" said Nick, "As soon as you've got clearance from the tower, you can get rolling along again."
"Thanks, Officer." said Sasha.
"Um… Excuse me, Officer!" said Buster.
"Yes?" said Nick, "How may we be of service?"
"Well…" said Arthur, "We're concerned that someone may be trying to stop us from delivering our cargo. Is there any chance you can give us some protection?"
"I'm very sorry, Sir;" said Judy, "But we cannot. Our duties demand that we remain in the city and we cannot lawfully operate outside of our jurisdiction."
"We wish the best of luck to you, though;" said Nick, "I hope you arrive at your destination safely. And if not, well… don't let them say you didn't try."
"Inspiring words." said Judy as she and Nick got back in the trike and motored away.
"Oh well this is great!" said Buster, "You know that DW's going to find some way to catch us and try to take those cookies."
"I know;" said Arthur, "There's got to be another way we can protect ourselves from her."
"What about my train?" asked James, "I don't want to be caught in the crossfire of a battle over cookies! Besides, Sir Topham Fatt will have my boiler if that shipment of playground equipment is damaged. Oh, who am I kidding? That flabby moron couldn't figure out how to use a screwdriver!"
"Well…" said Sasha, "We're not going to be clear to leave for another ten minutes; maybe we could find someone in the station who would be willing to help us."
"Ahem!" said a voice. Arthur, Buster, Sasha, and Bess looked over to see a boy with blue hair and a beanie standing before them. Behind him was a girl with red hair, a boy with glasses and an overbite, and a large boy carrying a rock guitar, a bass guitar, a keyboard, and a full drum set.
"Uh… who are you guys?" asked Arthur.
"The name's Corey Riffin;" said the boy with the blue hair, "And these are my friends; Laney…"
"Yo!" said the girl with red hair.
"Kin…"
"What's up?" asked the boy with the overbite.
"And Kon."
"What's happenin'?" asked the large boy.
"Together we are known as Grojband!" said Corey, "And we just happened to hear that you folks are in need of some protection."
Will Grojband be able to protect the train from the Paw Patrol's assault?
Will Arthur evade DW's sweet tooth and deliver the cookies intact?
Answers incoming… in Chapter Two: Red Engine On The Run!