Okay, so, after nearly four months of writing up a 10-chapter long prologue, I am finally ready to present my newest project: On My Dragon's Wings, an AU inspired by the obscure 1998 Warner Bros. animated film, Quest for Camelot.
So, you're probably thinking: "corneyforever, seriously? We followed the epic chronicles of Jackie Matthews and Grojband for nearly ten years and expected you to follow it up with something truly spectacular. But instead, you give us some AU based on a movie no one remembers or cares about? What's wrong with you? We thought you were supposed to have at least a little taste. Good luck getting someone to read this dribble, because you just lost all your followers. Goodbye forever."
Sorry. Got a little overdramatic back there.
First of all, let me just say this is not going to be the only new fanfic I plan to upload this year. In fact, I'll be working on another one during the summer and the first chapter should be posted somewhere around Halloween (an ideal time, given what it's going to be about. All I'll say is it's going to be my first official crossover fanfic based on two cartoons with similar themes). Second of all, I'm posting this story more for myself than for you guys. It's not something I'm expecting to get a ton of praise, it's just something I made for my own satisfaction. I honestly don't care if it gets no reviews or even exclusively negative reviews. I wrote this for the sole purpose of putting it out into the world and to overcome my insecurities about being judged for liking the source material.
Speaking of, I suppose we should talk about the source material. Quest for Camelot, long story short, is a Disney-wannabe film, containing many of the trends Disney followed in the late 80's and early 90's: a stalwart hero and heroine who fall in love after literally just meeting, an epic quest filled with magic, music, and romance, comic-relief sidekicks who reference things that shouldn't logically exist in their timeline. It's just a painfully obvious knockoff, down to the main character looking like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. But what's worse is for a movie that tries to be a Disney copycat, it's amazing how little effort they put into everything. The animation is poor, with errors in every other scene. The story is sloppy, with so many plot holes it could be mistaken for Swiss cheese. And don't even get me started on the Looney Tunes sound effects that they placed EVERYWHERE. The whole thing is just a mess. It's a really, really, REALLY bad film...
...and I absolutely love it.
Don't get me wrong, some things about this movie I can't forgive, like the aforementioned Looney Tunes sound effects (which may be the most ill-placed sound effects in cinema history.) There's also the fact that it went through executive meddling and ruined the reputations of many who worked on it. Some say it even led to the downfall of animated musicals in general. But in spite of all of this movie's flaws, I actually really enjoy watching it. First off, it's just fun to laugh at the many obvious mistakes the animators made and how anyone behind the scenes thought they had a good idea here. Second, the soundtrack is AWESOME! I think we can all agree "The Prayer" is one of the best songs ever written for an animated movie, but the rest of them sound good too.
And third, the thing that I'm probably going to get the most judgement for...I love Devon and Cornwall, the two-headed dragon. Sure, they don't have much of a reason to be in the movie, and their pop culture references can be cringey (I hate that Elvis impression at the end of their song. The rest of the song doesn't even bother me out of context, but that stupid Elvis bit just kills it for me.), but at the end of the day, I can't help but love their dynamic. For those who don't know, they're essentially an odd couple, with one being well-mannered and somewhat snobbish, and the other being cantankerous and a bit rude. Because of their differences, they can't stand each other, but they're forced to put up with one another due to a cruel twist of fate. It's a dynamic I never get tired of seeing and I kinda wish they weren't from such an awkward film because quite honestly, they deserve better. Not only are they some of the less popular characters from the movie, even being detested by the movie's fans, but the amount of fanfiction featuring them is very slim. In fact, most Quest for Camelot fanfics I've found usually just have the same plot as the movie but with added self-inserts. Not that those are bad, of course, I'd be a hypocrite if I said otherwise, but they definitely crop up more than fics telling an original story. When aforementioned fics do show up though, they tend to focus on the main duo, Kayley and Garrett, and sometimes completely cut Devon and Cornwall out if they can help it. And the few stories I found that do put them in the spotlight have either been unfinished and abandoned or...um...contain some very "not family-friendly" themes...
Hence, this little fic was born, which I can only describe as "Dragon Tales" mixed with a touch of "Phineas and Ferb." (you'll see why later). It takes place in Destin, Florida in the modern world, a time much more appropriate for a dragon that knows who Elvis is, and where Kayley and Garrett do not exist. Yeah, sorry to disappoint THOSE fans, but if you came here expecting to see the couple in shining armor, you're in the wrong place. Even if you asked me to put them in, I'm not going to. They simply don't exist. However...after the prologue, I do plan to add other characters from the movie such as King Arthur and Merlin. Perhaps I'll even consider adding the evil mastermind himself, Sir Ruber...
"So, if Kayley and Garrett aren't here, who are the heroes of this story?" I hear you asking. That's where my new OC, Madeline Porter comes in. So, one thing I noticed when watching the movie is how little Devon and Cornwall seem to bond with their human companions. If anything, Kayley and Garrett (especially Garrett) don't seem to even want them around. They rarely acknowledge anything the two say, almost like they can't hear them or just choose to ignore them, except when they require their services. Perhaps Devon and Cornwall's antics are just a little too childish for a pair of serious, mature, no-nonsense adults? Then I thought: "What if instead Devon and Cornwall befriended a human child, someone who could actually appreciate their silliness and treat them as more than just a weapon or tool?" So I came up with Madeline, who in a way, is kinda this fic's stand-in for Kayley (I even imagine her having a similar design to Kayley as a child, except with red hair and blue eyes), as well as some other characters who you could argue are stand-ins for the movie's characters (Madeline's best friend, CJ, is a little like Garrett and her older brother, Marcus, could play the part of Ruber quite well). Pretty much everyone you see in this fanfic, except of course Devon and Cornwall, were created by me. And admittedly, it was fun to make my own little cast from the ground up.
So, yeah. Again, I don't care how little attention this thing ends up getting or if everyone hates it. Of course, I could be wrong and everyone might end up loving it. But it doesn't matter. I made this fic mainly for my own happiness and I can only hope that it will bring happiness to someone else too, whether that someone be one of my regular readers or a new follower altogether. So please, whichever one you are, enjoy.
One last thing before we begin: this story is going to be more "kid-friendly" than my previous works. That's not to say it won't have any adult themes at all, but it is something that is going to contain a lot of aspects from young children's media (as I said, Dragon Tales was a big inspiration for this one). It's not 100% free of darker moments, mind you, it's just going to be written with kids in mind more often than not. If that's not your thing, then you might wanna hit the back button on your browser.
Okay, long introduction over. Let's get started!
Chapter 1
The Story
"So…the little unicorn crept his way into the scary dragon's lair…" 10-year-old Marcus Porter narrated. "With each step he took, it got darker and darker…until he couldn't see anything…"
His younger sister, Madeline, clutched onto her stuffed unicorn as she listened to his tale. Marcus continued.
"There were spiders in every corner, a sticky slime dripped from the ceiling, and the whole cave was filled with smoke from the fearsome dragon's snoring…The unicorn made the foolish mistake of getting closer so he could nab the treasure the dragon was hoarding…"
Madeline gulped and shivered.
"Then…just as the unicorn laid his tender little hoof onto a golden doubloon…the dragon…woke up!"
Madeline gasped.
"It was the tallest, meanest, scariest dragon the unicorn had ever seen! It had long, sharp claws, even sharper teeth, and glowing, red eyes that could stare into anyone's soul! But do you know what the scariest part about the dragon was?"
"W-W-W-What?" Madeline asked, her teeth chattering.
"This dragon…had two heads!"
"Two?"
"Yes! And the second head was just as menacing and cold-blooded as the other…except that one had even more teeth…"
"So…t-t-t-then what happened?"
"When the two-headed dragon saw the frightened little unicorn trying to steal its treasure, it was furious! So furious that it roared and blew out a huge stream of fire! The unicorn tried to run as fast as its spindly little legs could take him…but the dragon was much faster thanks to its giant wings. Then…right when the unicorn thought he was going to get away…the dragon…gobbled him up!"
"NO!"
"YES! And he was a delicious unicorn, too. He tasted like…cotton candy."
Marcus moved in closer and Madeline found herself face to face with the dragon printed on his shirt. It almost seemed like it was eyeing the unicorn on her own shirt. She hid her plush under her arms.
"But that's not where the story ends." Marcus snickered, going into his closet.
"I-I-It's not?" Madeline shuddered.
"Oh no! After all, the dragon is still out there. And ya know what? It's still hungry…"
"It is?"
"But it's not hungry for unicorns anymore. Nope. It wants something much more…appetizing…something like…a little girl…"
Madeline was so terrified, she didn't notice Marcus stepping out of the closet and sneaking up behind her.
"A little girl…who looks…just like…YOU!"
Madeline turned around and screamed upon seeing what looked like a green, two-headed dragon standing over her.
"EEEEEEEK! MOOOOMMMMM!" she ran out of the room.
As it turns out, the "dragon" was actually just Marcus wearing a mask.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" he chuckled. "Too easy!"
Marcus and Madeline's mother was in the kitchen washing dishes when Madeline came running in and hugged her legs.
"Mom! Help! There's a dragon chasing me!"
Mrs. Porter turned around and saw Marcus in his dragon mask.
"ROAR!"
"Eek! Save me!" Madeline begged.
"Marcus, take that silly thing off and stop teasing your sister." Mrs. Porter scolded.
Marcus removed the mask. "Aw c'mon, Mom, I'm just having a little fun! It's not my fault she's a big scaredy-cat!"
"I am not!" Madeline insisted.
"Ha! Yeah, right! If that's how you reacted to me pretending to be a dragon, there's no way you won't be scared of a real one! But I guess I wouldn't blame you because if you did run into a real dragon, it'd eat you without any second thoughts! And Mom wouldn't be around to save you!"
"Mom!" Madeline wailed.
"Marcus, enough!" Mrs. Porter ordered. "Go to your room! Now!"
Marcus shrugged, heading upstairs. "You can't hide forever, Madeline! One of these days, a dragon's gonna get you! Hee, hee, hee! Hey Cookie! Here, boy!"
The family dog, Cookie, having just finished his midday meal, followed his master. With the situation dealt with, Mrs. Porter went back to washing dishes. But Madeline was still uneasy about her brother's threats.
"Mom?" she mumbled. "Is it true?"
"Is what true, honey?"
"That a dragon is going to eat me up one day? Marcus told me that dragons are mean, scary creatures. Not at all like unicorns. Worst of all, they eat little kids like me for breakfast! What if I do meet a dragon one day? And what if you're not around to save me like you did now? What if I'm playing in the backyard and a dragon comes down and takes me away? What if-?"
Mrs. Porter kneeled down to her daughter's height. "Sweetheart, calm down. Listen to me. Marcus is just telling you all of those things to scare you. Dragons aren't even real."
"They're…not?"
"No, dear. They're only in fairy tales. You have nothing to worry about."
Madeline looked down at her feet. "I don't know. Are you sure?"
"Well, have you ever seen a dragon before?"
"Only in pictures. They're really scary."
"I'm sure they are. But there's an easy way to stop yourself from being afraid."
Madeline's blue eyes lit up. "Really? What?"
"Try this: the next time Marcus tells you another dragon story, just say to yourself: 'There's no such thing as dragons.'"
"…That's it?"
"Just keep saying that over and over until you believe it's true."
Madeline smiled a little. "Okay. I'll try. Thanks, Mom."
Mrs. Porter hugged her tightly. "That's my girl. Now, why don't you go and play for a little while? I'll have dinner ready soon."
"Okay, Mom." Madeline turned to leave, but then stopped. "Oh! But Mom?"
"Yes, honey?"
"Unicorns are real though, right?"
Mrs. Porter laughed somewhat. "They are if you want them to be, sweetie."
Madeline held onto her own unicorn, Sir Sprinklehooves, and started to climb up the stairs to her room.
Once inside, the young girl took a seat at her desk where all of her crayons were. She picked one up and started to draw on a piece of paper. She repeated her mother's words in her head.
There's no such thing as dragons…
There's no such thing as dragons…
There's no such thing as…
Before she knew it, she had drawn a picture of herself and Sir Sprinklehooves running from a huge, purple, fire-breathing dragon with two heads.
Whoa…that's really scary. Maybe I should put this away where I won't be able to see it.
Madeline went over to her closet carrying the drawing.
There's no such thing as dragons…
There's no such thing as dragons…
There's no such thing-
"EEEEEEEE!"
When Madeline opened the door, a furry, four-legged "dragon" sitting in the closet pounced onto her and licked her face.
"HELP! HELP!"
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" Marcus guffawed, taking the mask off of Cookie. "You won't last one minute with a real dragon! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"
Once Marcus and Cookie were gone, Madeline slammed her door.
Stupid Marcus…she thought. Why does he always have to scare me like that? Doesn't he know dragons aren't real?
But some part of Madeline believed differently. She looked down at the drawing, which she had dropped when Cookie jumped on her, and picked it up. She looked over the dragon and all of the scary features she had given it. She started to wonder if Marcus was right about her meeting a dragon one day and being gobbled up by it.
No…that's silly. Even if there are dragons out there, they wouldn't come all the way here…would they?
Madeline grabbed Sir Sprinklehooves and hid under her bed covers. Hopefully, she would be safe from any dragons there.
I know, I know. It's super short, but I promise the next one will be twice as long. You know me; I like to establish characters in my first chapters and start the actual plot in Chapter 2 in order to build up hype. That's just how I roll.
As I stated in the author's notes of one of my previous fics (I can't remember which one now), I'll upload a new chapter every Friday, regardless if I get reviews or not. Hope everyone is having a great summer and I'll see you all next week!