Introduction[]
Arthur sits on his bed holding a red ball.
Arthur: You know, this room is like a museum. Everything in here has a meaning, like this red softball. It's not just any old softball.
Flashback: A worker paints a house red.
Arthur (narrator): It's from when Buster and I got chased by that house painter.
A softball falls into the paint bucket and splashes the worker.
Worker: Ugh! Grr!
Arthur: Uh-oh!
The man chases Arthur and Buster.
The flashback ends. Arthur shows a poster.
Arthur: Or that Bionic Bunny poster? Buster and I got that poster autographed by Bionic Bunny himself. In person.
Flashback: An actor in a Bionic Bunny costume (not Wilbur Rabbit) eats a hotdog while signing the poster on Arthur's back. Other kids have lined up behind Arthur and Buster.
Buster: Cool!
Arthur: Wow! Gee, thanks, Bionic Bunny!
Actor: (burps) Don't mention it!
Arthur: Bye!
The flashback ends. Arthur sits at his desk with a magnet.
Arthur: Or take this magnet. An ordinary magnet, right? He picks up some paper clips. Wrong! This magnet is from the time Buster and I almost stopped being friends. Forever.
Title Card: Buster Roars (Lion)[]
Arthur sits in the living room and picks up a key with the magnet.
Announcer (on TV): Up next, it's a half-hour of action-packed thrills with Earth's mightiest superhero, Bionic Bunny!
D.W. comes in and sits on the couch.
D.W.: What's that? A horseshoe?
Arthur: It's a magnet. It's for a science project I'm doing with Buster. He's coming over to watch Bionic Bunny, and then we're gonna work on it together.
D.W.: Oh. But Bionic Bunny is starting now.
Arthur: Buster will be here. He always make it in time.
The show begins. Bionic Bunny holds on to a flying rocket.
Bionic Bunny (on TV): (grunts) Must... stop... missile!
D.W.: Maybe Buster doesn't like Bionic Bunny anymore.
Arthur: He'll be here, okay? He's probably just running a little late.
A while later, Bionic Bunny stands in front of the White House. The president shakes his hand.
President (on TV): Thanks for saving the world Bionic Bunny.
Journalist (on TV): But who are you really?
Bionic Bunny (on TV): Just a citizen trying to do his duty!
He flies off.
Journalist (on TV): (enraptured sigh)
“The End” is shown on the TV screen.
D.W.: Buster missed the whole episode.
Arthur looks annoyed.
Arthur: Something's must have happened!
Arthur goes to the telephone in the hallway and dials 555-1212.
Arthur: Hello. May I speak to Mrs. Baxter, please?
Bitzi Baxter answers the phone during a meeting at the newspaper.
Mrs. Baxter: What?? Buster Missing? But I just spoke with him! Yes, he's miniature golfing with his new friend Mike! Oh, is that all? Arthur, don't scare me like that.
She and Arthur hang up. Arthur looks confused.
Arthur: His new friend Mike? Who's Mike?
***
The next morning, Arthur and Buster arrive at school.
Arthur: So, where were you yesterday? I missed you. I-I mean, you missed Bionic Bunny.
Buster: Yeah, I went mini-golfing with my new friend Mike. He got a hole in one. Hoho, it was great!
Arthur: Yeah? Who's Mike?
Buster: Oh, Mike's great! He's the best mini-golfer I've ever seen! And he has lots of cool CDs. Everyone who knows him thinks he's really cool!
Arthur looks uncomfortable. He imagines Buster and a red-haired kid, whose face is never seen, riding their bikes to the mini-golf course. When they walk onto the course, other kids stare at Mike. Buster and Mike pass Arthur without noticing him at first. Then Mike gestures for Arthur to come.
Arthur: Maybe the three of us could do something together sometime.
Buster: Yeah, maybe Mike could help us out on our science project. I bet he knows a lot about magnets.
Arthur: Okay. Bring him over to my house after school.
Buster: Great.
The bell rings and they run inside.
***
That afternoon, Arthur sits at his desk with books about magnets. Mrs. Read brings up juice and a bowl of popcorn.
Mrs. Read: I brought up a snack for you and your friends.
Arthur: Thanks, Mom. They should be here any minute.
Mrs. Read: Have a good time.
She goes out. Arthur takes some popcorn.
***
Sometime later, the popcorn bowl is empty, but Arthur is still alone. He moves a thumbtack and a paperclip over a sheet of paper with a magnet.
Arthur: So, if the magnetic field goes out sideways from the poles of the magnet...
His mom looks in.
Mrs. Read: Arthur? What happened to Buster and Mike?
Arthur: I guess they must have forgotten.
Mrs. Read: Oh, dear. Well, it's almost time for dinner.
Arthur: Okay. I'll be down in a minute. Yeah, I bet they forgot.
He looks sad and angry.
Arthur imagines Buster sitting in a kind of dentist chair, while Mike swings a pocket watch in front of his face.
Mike: Repeat after me: I will not go over to Arthur's house.
Buster: I will not go over to Arthur's house.
Mike: I will never visit Arthur again!
Buster: I will never visit Arthur again!
***
The next day, Arthur sits in the cafeteria and stares ahead of him.
Francine: Arthur? Arthur! She snaps her fingers in front of his face. Anybody home?
Arthur: Sorry. I was just wondering where Buster is. He never seems never around anymore.
Francine: Tell me about it!
Flashback: Francine, Binky, Alex and Brain play basketball.
Francine (narrator): He was supposed to be the catcher for us the other day. But he never showed up.
Francine pitches past Brain, but there is no one to catch the ball. It rolls into the bushes.
Francine: I'm not getting it. You get it!
Brain: Forget it!
The flashback ends.
Francine: When I asked him why he didn't show, he said he was with his friend Mike.
Muffy: That's nothing! You know how Buster's such an expert on bikes? Well...
Flashback: Muffy stands in front of a bike store looking at her watch and looking annoyed.
Muffy (narrator): He was supposed to help me at the bike store to help me pick one. But he never showed up, so I just had to buy them all.
A man loads bikes into a truck.
The flashback ends.
Francine: What a drip!
Brain: I recently had a similar experience involving Buster.
Flashback: Brain plays a computer game in his room involving spaceships.
Brain (narrator): I arranged to play Spacefighter 9 with him over the internet. He was to dial into my computer at 5 o'clock. But he never did.
The flashback ends.
Muffy: So what?
Brain: Well, it's much less fun on your own.
Francine: Whatever. The point is what are we gonna do about it? We can't just let Buster keep ignoring us like this.
Muffy: How about we give him the silent treatment?
Francine: I don't know. The silent treatment is pretty harsh. Arthur?
Arthur: Buster needs to learn how it feels to be ignored. Let's try it.
Buster sits down with them, talks and eats, without noticing that they are all ignoring him.
Buster: Hey guys! Man, that food line sure is long. I'm starved! I barely had dinner last night. Mike and I went bowling and I just had a burger and shake. Mike taught me all these great tricks. Did you know if you spin the ball sideways, it gives it more force so it knocks over more pins? Of course, you have to be pretty strong, like Mike, to bowl that way. Tonight, we're gonna go to this great science fiction movie Mike told me about where all these people get eaten. Man, I'm hungry. I'm gonna go get some more food. See you guys later!
He leaves.
Francine: Well, we sure taught him a lesson.
Arthur: I think we need to take more drastic action.
***
The school bell rings. Buster walks into class where most of his classmates are already sitting. He sits down beside Arthur who looks grumpy.
Buster: Hey, buddy. I guess we have to give a progress report on that science project today, huh? Magnets are such a great thing to do a project on! I bet we'll have the best project in class.
Arthur imagines giving the report in the gymnasium. He stands in front of a large horseshoe magnet and holds a smaller one.
Arthur: Every magnet has a north and south pole. As you can see, north poles attract south poles and vice versa.
Buster stands nearby wearing a suit of metal armor. He is pulled against the large magnet.
Buster: Ah, oh!
Class: (cheer)
Mike: But what if I have a more powerful magnet?
Mike stands at the other side of the gym with an even larger magnet which hides his face.
Buster: Mike? He is pulled against Mike's magnet. (gasps)
Mike: And, what's more, the magnets repel each other.
He pushes his magnet towards Arthur.
Arthur: (gulps) Correct. The larger magnet sends him flying through the air until he lands in a basketball hoop. Yaaaah! Oof.
The fantasy ends. Arthur gives Buster an angry look, which Buster fails to notice.
Buster: So what do you think our project should be exactly? We haven't done much work on it yet.
Arthur: Who hasn't done much work?! I've done plenty of work while you were out bowling with “Mike”!
Buster: You have? I...
Arthur: I don't wanna work with you anymore, Buster! I'll finish the project myself!
Buster: But... but, Arthur! I... we have to give a progress report.
Mr. Ratburn comes in.
Mr. Ratburn: Good morning, everyone. I'm sure you've all been working very hard on your science projects. Most kids look uneasy, except Brain. And, as you recall, today I'll be asking you each to describe your project and what you've done so far. So, to start it off, Buster?
Buster: Well, I was gonna be...uhm... I don't really know... what I'm doing.
Class: (chuckle)
Mr. Ratburn: I see. Buster, perhaps you and I should have a talk after class.
Buster: Oh.
***
In Arthur's room, Arthur is throwing Buster's things in a box.
D.W.: Arthur, what are you doing?
Arthur: I'm throwing out everything that belongs to Buster, or reminds me of Buster, or has anything to do with Buster.
D.W.: Are you gonna throw out the radio he gave you when he got a new one? Throws it in the box. How about the CDs you borrowed from him?
Arthur: D.W., will you leave me alone please?!
***
A while later, D.W. is drawing in the living room while Arthur pulls the full box through the hallway.
Arthur: (grunts)
D.W.: You can't throw those things out. They belong to Buster!
Arthur carries the box out of the house.
***
Arthur drags the heavy box along the street.
Arthur: Okay. You can do it. Just twelve more blocks to Buster's.
Buster stops next to him on a skateboard.
Buster: Er... hey, Arthur. Listen, I'm sorry about the science project. I didn't realize I was letting you down.
Arthur: Okay.
Buster: Huh?
Arthur: It's okay!!
Buster: Oh. Hey, let me give you a hand with this stuff. He puts the box on his skateboard and Arthur pushes it down the street. I guess I haven't been seeing you that much since I started hanging out with Mike. But you're still my best buddy. But, you know, Mike's my buddy, too.
Arthur: (annoyed sigh)
Buster: I think we should maybe hang out together, the three of us. I think, Mike would really like you.
Arthur: Hm.
***
They reach the front of the Baxters' condominium.
Arthur: So then, whatever metal the magnet is touching turns into a magnet too!
Buster: Cool, so that's how it works! Hey, Arthur, is it okay if I work with you on the magnet project? I promise I'll work really hard.
Arthur: Yeah. Okay. Bionic Handshake?
They do a special handshake.
Buster: All right!
Arthur's Bionic Bunny watch beeps.
Arthur: Four-thirty!
Arthur+Buster: Bionic Bunny!
***
Arthur and Buster watch Bionic Bunny in the Baxters' living room. A villain is just being led away in handcuffs. A farmer shakes Bionic Bunny's hand.
Ed Billings (on TV): Thank you for saving our farms, Bionic Bunny.
Journalist (on TV): But who are you really?
Bionic Bunny (on TV): Just someone who's trying to do the right thing in a mixed-up world!
He flies off.
Journalist (on TV): He's so cute! (sighs)
The show ends.
Buster: That was excellent! Hey, Arthur. What's in that box, anyway?
Arthur: Oh, just some stuff. Will you help me get it back to my house?
Buster: Sure thing. Hey, Mike's coming over soon. We can take it in in his car.
Arthur: Buster, will you knock it off! I mean, I can believe this Mike kid is a great mini-golfer, I can believe he's a great bowler, I believe everybody thinks he's really cool, but now you expect me to believe he has a car?! Come on! Kids can't drive cars!
A car horn is heard outside.
***
Buster runs out of the condominium. Arthur follows with the box. His jaw drops when he sees that Mike is a young adult with a VW bug convertible. Mike's T-shirt says “Big Brother”.
Buster: Hey, Mike!
Mike: Hey, Buster! What's up?
Buster: Mike, I want you to meet my best buddy, Arthur. Arthur, this is my big brother, Mike.
Arthur and Mike shake hands.
Arthur: Hello. You're Buster's big brother?
Mike: Yeah, it's part of the Big Brother/Big Sister Program at the community center.
Buster: My Mom signed me up. She thinks I need older male influences.
The boys get in the back of the car. Mike picks up the box.
Arthur: Mike?
Mike: Yeah, Arthur?
They drive off.
Arthur: What do you know about magnets?