Okay, Chapter 3 of crossover is in the works. After some consideration, I decided to just have the same character play themselves and not bother with casting someone new. I know that sounds confusing now, but it'll make sense once it's uploaded. I've realized now that no matter what, I'm not going to have a role for every character. Sometimes you just have to adapt, you know? Hopefully though, this won't happen too often as I already chose some characters for minor roles later on.

Chapter 10

The Promise

"C'mon, hurry up!" Madeline encouraged CJ as the two of them crawled through the tunnel to get back to the human world.

After Devon and Cornwall's skirmish against the other dragons, the children were dying to know what had happened the night before they left Madeline's home. However, the two-headed reptile, fearing the other dragons might come back and also presuming the kids' mothers would be worried about them, said they would explain everything later and promptly took them back to the tunnel they came in so they could safely return home.

When the eight-year-olds eventually emerged from the beach cave, they were surprised to find that not much time had passed and no one had noticed their sudden disappearance. Their moms were still engaged in the same conversation they were having earlier, Cookie was chasing the same butterfly, and Marcus was building a sandcastle in order to impress a sunbathing Tiffany.

"Whoa…" CJ noted. "Everything is just how we left it."

"Yeah…" Madeline replied. "I would've thought our parents would be frantic looking for us."

"…Maybe all that time we spent in Dragon Country was only a couple minutes in our world."

"Could be. Why though?"

CJ shrugged. "I dunno. Magic or something? Clearly we've still got a lot to learn about everything beyond that cave."

The both of them scampered up to their moms, who were just finishing a story.

"…And that's why I'll never set foot in another yoga studio again!" Mrs. Ramirez blurted.

Mrs. Porter laughed. "My, that's quite a story."

"Um…Mom?" Madeline spoke up.

Both women looked down to see their youngest children. They were shocked at how suddenly dirty they had become.

"My word, you two are filthy!" Mrs. Porter observed.

Madeline and CJ looked at each other, finally taking notice of their disheveled appearances. Their clothes were covered with dirt and dust, their shoes were blackened, and their hair was sticking out all over the place. Clearly, their run-in with the dragons was rougher than they imagined.

"Uh…yeah…" CJ said finally. "Guess we got a little carried away."

"But…it's only been five minutes! You got this dirty in just five minutes?"

"Uh-huh." Madeline nodded. "You know how the beach is. You take one step on the sand and the next thing you know, you're covered from head to toe in it."

Mrs. Porter shot Mrs. Ramirez a confused look, but the latter just shrugged as if to say: "Kids will be kids." Then Mrs. Porter noticed a couple of bruises and cuts on her daughter's arm.

"Oh my goodness, Madeline! You're all bruised up! What happened?"

Madeline also saw the bruises, realizing she must have gotten them from the dragons.

"Oh. Yeah, those. I fell a couple times while playing tag. The cuts are from when I landed on some really sharp seashells. It's not a big deal though."

Mrs. Porter was surprised by this response, remembering how before, Madeline would freak out if she bled even a drop of blood.

"You mean…you're not worried about this?"

Madeline shook her head. "Nah. Stuff like this happens. It's really not that bad. Sure, it hurts a little, but the important thing is that I'm still alive, right?"

Mrs. Porter and Mrs. Ramirez's eyes widened in concern at the previous statement.

"Um…never mind." Madeline laughed nervously. "The point is, Mom, there are way worse things than a few scrapes on the arm. I'll be okay. I promise."

Mrs. Porter smiled and hugged her. "Aww…I'm so proud of you, sweetheart. You're growing up so fast, I just can't believe it."

Madeline hugged her back, feeling even more grateful for Devon and Cornwall's rescue since it meant she actually got to see her mom again, let alone get to hug her. After a minute, the two released each other.

"Hey Mom? Do you think we can go home now?"

"Go home already? But sweetie, I thought you wanted to come to the beach?"

"I did. But I think I've had enough excitement for one day." Madeline winked at Marcus, who winked back. "Why don't we pick this back up some other time? I'm sure there won't be any incidents the next time we're here. And who knows? Maybe I'll actually want to stay a little longer then. For now though, all I want is to go home, clean myself up, and climb into my own bed. Whaddya say? Please?"

Mrs. Porter was still confused, but she decided to let it go.

"Well…okay then. If you say so." Mrs. Porter turned around. "Marcus? Get in the car. It's time to go."

"What?!" Marcus stood up from his sandcastle, unwittingly knocking it over. "But Mom, we just got here!"

"We can come back tomorrow, honey. Your sister needs to go home and get into the bathtub. And it wouldn't hurt for you to do the same. Sorry for cutting things short, Elena."

"Oh, it's no trouble." Mrs. Ramirez put a hand on CJ's shoulder. "I should probably take this little guy home, too. But I'll call you this evening."

"Sounds good. Thanks."

Mrs. Porter opened the van doors and Madeline, Marcus, and Cookie got in. Once everyone buckled up, Mrs. Porter started the vehicle and the family was on their way. As her mom drove and her brother sulked about having to leave early, Madeline peered into the back window and waved to CJ and Mrs. Ramirez. She then took one last look at the cave. She couldn't help but smile.

Later that night, after a good, long bath, Madeline changed into her pajamas and sat down at her desk to draw another picture. She was nearly finished when she heard Marcus and Mrs. Porter from behind her door. She looked out into the hallway and saw her shirtless brother laughing while being chased by their mom.

"Muahahaha! Can't catch me!"

"Marcus! Come over here and put your shirt on! And after that, you can brush your teeth and go straight to bed!"

"Aw, Mom!"

"You heard me, young man!" Mrs. Porter turned to see Madeline in her doorway. "And that goes for you too, Madeline. It's nearly bedtime."

"Okay, Mom." Madeline obeyed and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

A few minutes later, she returned to her room and put Sir Sprinklehooves on her pillow.

"Arf! Arf!"

Cookie ran into the room and jumped onto Madeline's lap. He licked her face affectionately.

"Hee, hee! Oh, Cookie. You're the only one I wanna get licked by from now on. At least you don't want to eat me alive."

"Arf!"

Suddenly, Madeline heard a noise from outside her window. Curious, she opened it and scanned the surrounding area.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

But just when she was about to shrug it off as just being imagination…

"Psst! Hey, Mads!"

"Up here!"

Madeline looked toward the sky, elated to see Devon and Cornwall flying over her roof.

"Guys! You came back!"

The dragon lowered themselves to the window.

"Sure we did. You can't expect us to save you from certain death and not check up on you, right?" Cornwall joked.

"Anyway, we have splendid news!" Devon continued. "After we showed those brutes what for, they reluctantly agreed to allow us back into Dragon Country! Isn't that wonderful?"

"Really? I thought you hated it there because the other dragons picked on you?"

"Nah. We don't have to worry about that anymore." Cornwall claimed. "I think those jurassic jerks know not to mess with us now. If we wanted to, we could declare ourselves the dragon kings!"

"And we owe it all to you, Madeline." Devon finished.

"Me? What'd I do?"

"He's right, sweetie." Cornwall explained. "If it weren't for you, we'd still be breathing normal air and traveling with our feet. Not to mention we'd still be gettin' walked on by the other dragons."

Madeline was very confused. "Huh? I don't understand. How could I possibly have helped you with that stuff?"

Devon kept going. "When CJ came and told us you were in danger, we became so wound up, we actually started to fly. That's when we realized the only way we could get control of our dragon abilities is if the two of us agreed on something."

"Really?"

"Yep." Cornwall nodded. "But it couldn't be just anything, ya know. It had to be something big. Something important. Something so emotionally impacting that we'd never be the same again."

"Yeah? What's that?" Madeline asked.

"Quite simply, dear," Devon lifted up her chin. "We agreed we both love you."

"…You do?" Madeline looked away. "Well…if that's true, then…why did you leave me?"

"Oh believe me, honey, we didn't want to." Cornwall told her. "But we felt like it was our only option at that point."

"Yes, if we had stayed, we knew you would reveal us to the other humans and they would be so frightened of our appearance that more than likely they'd have us captured and possibly even executed."

"But that's not what scared us the most." Cornwall added. "What we were really afraid of was everyone turning against you for sympathizing with a monster and you spending the rest of your life thinking it was your fault we got taken out. You don't deserve that."

"So, we felt we had no other choice but to leave the human realm for good. Of course, we would have informed you about this decision, but you were so excited about telling our existence to your mother, we just couldn't bear the thought of upsetting you and became too afraid to say anything."

"Oh…I see…" Madeline said, but still refused to look the dragon in the eyes. "…Well, just so you know, I was upset when I found out you were gone. At one point, I started to think it was because you didn't like me…" she looked like she was going to cry.

"What? That's crazy talk!" Cornwall argued.

"Good heavens, of course not, Madeline!" Devon denied. "The last thing we'd ever want is to hurt you. And we're truly sorry if we made you feel unloved. You're a wonderful child and you'll always have a place in the heart the two of us share."

Madeline sniffed. "So…I guess now you're gonna tell me we can't see each other anymore, am I right?"

"Huh?"

"What ever do you mean, love?"

"Well, now that you're a real dragon and everything, you can't be my friend. Remember the dragon cardinal rule?"

"Rule schmule!" Cornwall scoffed. "If ya ask me, a real dragon shouldn't have to abide by any laws but the ones they choose for themselves! So, who are Scorch and his gang of punks to tell us who our friends can and can't be? The fact is you're one of 'em and they're just gonna have to deal with it!"

"I couldn't have said it better myself!" Devon agreed.

Madeline's face lit up. "Wait…you mean…?"

"You got it, sweetpea. As a dragon, we only get so many centuries to live. Which is why…we wanna spend what time we have left with you."

"Absolutely. That is…if you still even want to be our friend…"

"Are you kidding?" Madeline interrupted. "Of course I do! Because the truth is, you guys are the best friends ever. It's because of you I learned to be brave, after all."

Devon chuckled. "Well, oddly enough, you're the reason we were able to build up our courage as well. It appears we need one another to help realize our strength. I can tell this is only the beginning of our adventures together."

"But we promise no matter what happens, we'll never take off like we did again. So whaddya say, Maddie?" Cornwall asked. "Friends for life?"

Madeline grinned and hugged them. "That's all I could ever ask for."

"Oh, we're so happy to hear that!" Devon beamed.

"Yeah, but uh, ya might wanna keep this on the down-low, at least for now." Cornwall suggested. "Not sure if the other humans are ready for a sudden appearance by an eccentric two-headed lizard."

"Yes, and best not tell anyone else about the passage you found in the cave." Devon mentioned. "Wouldn't want to give those scaly neanderthals another potential snack. You and CJ are more than welcome to visit, however. Don't worry, those beasts won't harm you as long as we're around. And they can't come into your realm either, given their rather, shall we say, 'substantial body types'?"

"Yeah, they couldn't fit in that hole if they tried! And you say I'm the one who needs to lose weight!" Cornwall said to Devon.

Madeline giggled. "Silly dragons. Okay, I won't tell anyone else. This'll be our little secret that's just between you, me, and CJ."

Suddenly, the door to Madeline's room opened and Marcus came in.

"Hey Madeline, I think I left my mask in your clos-" he gasped when he saw Devon and Cornwall's faces in the window.

"Uh-oh…" Madeline worried.

"I…KNEW IT!" Marcus cheered, running out the door. "Mom Mom! Come quick! The two-headed dragon is back and it's flying beside the house! Hurry!"

"Marcus! No!" Madeline begged.

"Fear not, love." Devon assured her. "Flying and fire-breathing aren't the only skills we've acquired."

"Yeah, we've also mastered a little something called …'the disappearing act'!" Cornwall stated.

"C'mon! C'mon! C'mon!" Marcus urged, dragging his mother's arm into Madeline's room.

"Marcus, please! I'm not in the mood for one of your fantasies."

"Just look! It's right there! See?" Marcus pointed at the window.

But there was nothing there. Madeline smugly waved.

"Oh, hi Mom. Sorry, it was getting a little hot in here, so I opened the window for some air."

Marcus's face fell from disbelief and disappointment.

"Well, that's what your bedroom fan is for, dear." Mrs. Porter informed her. "Now close it up before you catch a chill. "

"Yes, Mom." Madeline did so.

Devon and Cornwall, meanwhile, had flown up to the roof, out of sight from the whole family. They snickered at Marcus's failed attempt at exposing them.

"But…but…" the boy stammered. "The dragon…it was…"

"That's quite enough, Marcus." Mrs. Porter scolded. "Clearly, you saw something that wasn't really there because you're tired. I think it's time you went to bed."

"But…but…I saw it…where'd it go? How did…"

Mrs. Porter rolled her eyes, gently pushed her son into the hallway, and shut the door.

"Sorry about that, honey. Your brother loves his dragon stories, doesn't he?"

"That's okay." Madeline climbed into her bed. "They don't bother me now. I'm not afraid of dragons anymore."

Mrs. Porter sat down beside her. "Oh, really? You've finally realized they're not real?"

"Uh…yeah." Madeline fibbed. "But I also realized that even if they were, maybe not all of them would be the big, scary, things in Marcus's stories. Maybe some would be really nice and really funny. Maybe they would just be looking for someone to be their friend."

Madeline glanced out the window and saw Devon and Cornwall waving to her as they began their journey back to Dragon Country. Thankfully, Mrs. Porter didn't notice them nor did she notice her daughter waving back.

"Oh, you think so?"

"Yeah. We can't just assume all dragons are bad. After all, not all of us people are the same way. So, why would dragons be? We would just have to get to know them first."

"Aww…that's so sweet. Well, I think you could make a friend out of any creature in the world, because you're the friendliest person I know."

Mrs. Porter kissed Madeline's head and tucked her in.

"Goodnight, sweetie."

"Night, Mom." Madeline closed her eyes.

Cookie hopped off the bed and followed Mrs. Porter out the door, the latter turning off the lights before exiting.

Once she was alone again, Madeline sat up in bed and went back over to her desk, switching on the little lamp sitting on it. She added a few more finishing touches to her drawing and then proudly taped it over her bed. The new picture was similar to the old one, depicting Madeline and Sir Sprinklehooves with a two-headed dragon. Except this time, instead of running away from it, the two of them were riding on top of it, flying over a rainbow. Madeline grinned, satisfied with her work, and then crawled back under the covers and fell asleep with Sir Sprinklehooves in her arms. Whatever dream she had that night, she knew it would never be as fantastical as the adventures she was about to have with her new dragon friend. As Devon had said, their time together had only just begun.

And that's the end of the prologue, but hopefully not the end of the story! Like I said, if you want to see more dragon misadventures, make sure to vote on what ideas you want to see next in the polls. The way it will work is I'll put up a poll listing three key words that represent scenarios for the characters. Whichever gets the most votes will be the next chapter I do. Then, each time I update this, I'll put up a new poll with a new key word as well as the other two that didn't win. I plan to do all my ideas eventually, but how much I actually do is up to you guys. Also, if you are a fan of OMDW, please tell me in the reviews. I know I said I didn't care if this got reviews or not, but honest feedback is really helpful and it will encourage me to write beyond what I have now. So if you like this story, show your support by voting and reviewing, please.

Okay, that's all. I'm going to take a break from updating right now, but expect the first chapter of the crossover fic sometime in late September (it'll probably be on a Friday). Thanks for reading and see you soon!