Okay, and now after a three-month hiatus, I am officially back! Well, I call it a hiatus as if I was doing nothing the entire time, but in actuality, I've written up 6, that's right, 6 new chapters for my ongoing stories, 3 for each. In other words, that means I can guarantee an upload every single week for the next month or two, possibly longer as I plan to write more in between uploads. I truly feel this is a much more efficient way to update my stories, writing up several chapters ahead of time instead of just writing up one and then making you guys wait a month for the next. Hopefully, I can keep this pattern going for a bit, but if it gets to a point where I run out of completed chapters, I may just take another few months to write more until I have a sufficient amount again.

The reason I say this is because...some of the chapters I wrote recently are LONG. And by "some," I mean ALL of the chapters for "On My Dragon's Wings." A majority of the last few months was spent writing those chapters alone. Every single one ended up totaling over (or in this chapter's case close to) 10,000 words. For comparison, my longest "Meeting Grojband" chapter did not hit 9,500. Not only are they the longest pieces of writing I've ever done, but I'm fairly certain they are the longest that I will ever do.

And that is why I'm worried I will run out of chapters early, because if these ones continue to be close to this length, I may still be working on the next one by the time we get to week 6. Sure, I could just write up more for "The Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee," since those only take up to a week at most, but I don't really wanna do that because this story is important to me too and I don't want to abandon it too soon. Of course, it may also depend on how many voters I'm getting on the polls for new chapters.

Speaking of polls, the last one I posted received a total of...1 vote. Which is...1 more vote than I was expecting, so I'm satisfied. Anyway, for those who don't remember, the choices in that poll were "Ogre," "Camelot," and "Renaissance." The one the single voter decided on was "Ogre," which was the one I ended up finishing second. Yes, at this moment, all three scenarios have been written into stories, but when they will be uploaded will be decided by the winner of the next poll (which will include the un-uploaded chapters as well as a new one that has not been written yet and will be the next chapter I write up).

So, for the handful of you who have seen "Quest for Camelot," you know that one of the more infamous scene is the one with the badly-animated CGI ogre. In the scene, Kayley, Garrett, and Devon and Cornwall have to retrieve Excalibur from its cave without waking the creature...only for the villains to intervene and get blasted outside by "the ogre's butt" (Oh yeah, great dialogue, guys.) Yeah, this movie of all things did a fart joke. Because hey, "The Lion King" had 'em, so we gotta have one too!

Anyway, prior to the scene, we learn that Devon and Cornwall are terrified of ogres due to their appetite for dragons (kinda makes Shrek hilarious in hindsight, huh?) and I thought: Hey, there's some story potential in that. So, here's what I came up with:

Synopsis: While playing with Devon and Cornwall one day, Madeline steps into the ogre's territory outside the Forbidden Forest and ends up losing Sir Sprinklehooves, her favorite unicorn, while there. Devon and Cornwall, due to their fear of the ogre, not only refuse to let Madeline retrieve her doll, but become so traumatized by Madeline nearly getting herself eaten, that they channel an obsessed helicopter parent and won't let her do anything without their constant supervision. Naturally, Madeline gets annoyed with this, so to prove she doesn't need them babying her so much, she decides to travel back to the ogre's territory to rescue Sir Sprinklehooves.

Yes, somehow I wrote almost 10,000 words for something that can be summed up in 100. Well, regardless, here's the finished product. So, I hope you like it, one person who voted for it on the poll!

Chapter 11

The Monster

"Hmm…"

Madeline examined her surroundings. The Forbidden Forest was a vast locale with all sorts of strange flora and fauna present. While she had only been there a few times, she had become somewhat acquainted with its unusual entities. She had even come up with a few rules of thumb every time she visited:

Rule #1: Anything has the potential to be alive, even if there is no logical reason behind its sentience.

Rule #2: Even if something is not technically alive, that doesn't mean it can't move.

Rule #3: Be careful about what you touch. Some things may look pretty, but they're not always safe.

Madeline scurried across the forest floor, her favorite stuffed unicorn, Sir Sprinklehooves tucked safely in her pocket. She was determined to find what she was looking for. She made sure to check every conceivable place: under rocks, inside bushes, even underwater. But it didn't take long for her to spot her target: a big, purple tail sticking out from behind a tree. She giggled.

"Found you guys! I win again!"

Devon and Cornwall stepped out of their hiding place.

"Oh drat!"

"That's ten times in a row!"

"Madeline, I must say you're quite adept at this 'hide-and-seek' thing."

"Yeah, you're practically the champ!"

Madeline shrugged. "Well, it's not exactly hard to see a huge, purple two-headed dragon from behind a small, skinny tree."

"Heavens, you're right." Devon realized. "Apologies, Madeline, but perhaps we're not fit to play this game. Especially when there doesn't seem to be a place big enough to conceal us."

Madeline though it over. "Hmm…okay. How about I hide and you guys come look for me? That should mix things up."

"Wonderful!"

"Great idea, Mads!"

"All right, you two count to ten and when you're done, you try to find me, got it?"

"Got it!" Devon and Cornwall nodded, covering their eyes.

"Remember, no peeking!" Madeline reminded them before running off.

"Yes, yes. We know. Let's see. 1…"

"…2…"

"…3…"

Madeline headed for the edge of the forest, looking for the perfect hiding place. She found a rock that was about her size and crouched behind it. She giggled, believing the dragons wouldn't find her there. But then, she noticed something she hadn't seen before. At the edge of the forest was a deep fog leading into somewhere else entirely. Where exactly, she couldn't tell because the fog was much too thick. This gave the eight-year-old the idea to instead hide in the fog. There was no chance of being found then. So, she stood up and began to walk toward the mysterious mist. Devon and Cornwall, meanwhile, kept counting.

"…5…6…"

"6…Hey! I was gonna say that!"

"Oh, what does it matter?"

"This is supposed to be a team effort!" Cornwall uncovered his eyes to glare at Devon.

Devon did the same. "Really, it's only counting. Now where was I? Oh, look what you've done! I've lost my place! Now we have to start over!"

"Maybe you should just let me do the countin' then! I bet ya don't even know how to count past the fingers on your hand!"

"I'll have you know that I'm perfectly capable of-"

Devon suddenly gasped, prompting Cornwall to look in his direction. He, too, was horrified by what he saw: Madeline walking through the fog.

"Madeline, no! Stop!"

"Uh, Maddie? That's not a good idea, pumpkin! Get away from there!"

Before Madeline could turn around, the reptile zipped over to her, scooped her up, and carried her away from the fog. Unbeknownst to all of them, when this happened, Sir Sprinklehooves fell out of Madeline's pocket. Devon and Cornwall flew back to the forest and put the child down.

"Good gracious, Madeline, what were you thinking?" Devon panicked. "You mustn't ever go beyond the Forbidden Forest!"

"What? Why not?"

"Devon's right." Cornwall nodded. "You're lucky we stopped you in time or who knows what would have happened?"

"What are you talking about?"

"We've heard many stories even before we were a century old. That land beyond the fog is known as the territory of…" Devon gulped. "…the ogre!"

"Huh?"

"It's a giant wretched creature with no regard for anyone or anything around it." Devon continued. "The only thing that occupies its mind is what its next meal is going to be. And it could have been you!"

Madeline laughed. "Silly dragons."

"Listen, sweetie," Cornwall chimed in. "We may be silly, but we're not stupid. Well…at least I'm not." he glanced at Devon, who only gasped in an offended manner. "The ogre is serious business! It's not to be tangled with!"

"Yes, trust us when we say it's far too risky to even set foot in its territory."

"Are you sure? I didn't see an ogre when I was in there." Madeline pointed out.

"That's just it, honey." Cornwall explained. "The ogre is known for its massive size, but it's anything but predictable."

"Imagine, if you will, you were just strolling along through the fog, minding your own business. You're thinking to yourself: 'I'm perfectly safe. Nothing can hurt me here.' And then, all of a sudden, a shadow looms over you and the wretched things snatches you off the ground!" Devon theorized.

"That's if it doesn't squish you under its nasty toes first." Cornwall mentioned.

Madeline stopped listening once she realized Sir Sprinklehooves was no longer in her pocket. She looked toward the fog and spotted him sitting in the dirt. While Devon and Cornwall weren't paying attention, she went to retrieve the toy.

"And once you're caught by the ogre, it drags you back to its den and does who knows what to you!" Devon ranted. "It may swallow you whole! Or cook you in a stew! Or grind your bones to make its bread!"

"That's giants, dummy." Cornwall retorted.

"Ogres, giants, what does it matter? The point is, Madeline, that you must never, ever, EVER go back to the-"

That's when the two of them realized the girl was no longer beside them. They turned around to see her reaching down to grab Sir Sprinklehooves, completely unaware of the giant, green foot that was about to crush her.

"NOOOOO!" the dragons screamed.

Just as Madeline had grabbed onto the plush's tail, Devon and Cornwall swooped in and flew her to safety. This caused her to loose her grip on Sir Sprinklehooves and he fell right onto the spot the ogre was about to step on. From Devon and Cornwall's arms, Madeline watched as her favorite unicorn was squashed and caught in between the toes of the monster's foot. She whimpered as it disappeared into the fog, dragging Sir Sprinklehooves with it.

Devon and Cornwall landed back in the forest and released Madeline.

"Boy, that was a close one." Cornwall said with relief.

"Madeline, that was very foolish of you." Devon scolded. "After we were quite clear why you shouldn't go into the fog."

"But…Sir Sprinklehooves-"

"No stuffed unicorn is worth putting your life in danger, princess. End of story." Cornwall told her. "I'm only sayin' that 'cause we care."

"Right then." Devon decided. "From now on, you're not to leave our sight again, young lady. Is that understood?"

"But-"

"Ah-ah-ah! No arguments! When it comes to your safety, we can't compromise."

"Cornwall-"

"Sorry, Maddie," Cornwall shook his head. "You know that the one thing the two of us agree on is how you're our biggest priority. So promise us you won't run off like that anymore, okay?"

"But…but…" Madeline gave up, knowing there was no changing either of their minds. "Okay, fine…"

Devon patted her head. "Very good. I'm glad we got that sorted."

"Yeah, sure." Madeline sighed. She missed Sir Sprinklehooves already. "Can we get back to the game now?"

"Oh yes. The game." Devon recalled, scratching his chin. "Um…which game was that?"

"'Hide-and-Seek'? You guys need to count to ten so I can hide and then you come find me."

"Right. Of course."

Devon and Cornwall covered their eyes once again.

"1…"

"…2…"

"…3…wait!" Devon stopped as he came upon a realization. "I just remembered! We can't keep our eyes closed! If we do, how are we supposed to know where you are?"

Madeline blankly stared. "Uh…that's the point of the game. You're not supposed to know."

"But if we don't know, we can't be sure you aren't 100% safe." Cornwall concluded. "There'd be no one to stop you from wandering into some forest creature's mouth!"

"Or falling into a deep hole and breaking an arm or a leg!" Devon added.

"Or tripping over a vine and getting scraped knees!"

"Or cutting your finger on a sharp tree branch!"

"Or-"

"Okay, okay! I get the picture!" Madeline interrupted. "There's a lot of stuff that could happen. But that's why I'm going to be extra careful to make sure that it doesn't."

"No, no, no." Devon declined. "We simply can't risk it. We'll just have to count with our eyes open and watch you while you hide."

"Huh? But that's ridiculous!"

"She's right." Cornwall concurred. "We shouldn't even be lettin' her hide. The second she gets out of our line of vision could be the second she gets into trouble."

"What?!" Madeline was in disbelief.

"Goodness, I hadn't considered that." Devon stated. "That settles it. We're not playing this game anymore. Not if it means we can't watch you at all times."

Madeline facepalmed and groaned. "Fine. How about we play 'Tag' instead? It's easy. One of us has to run around and chase the other to try to tag them and make them 'it.'"

"'Run around'?" Devon repeated. "No, that's no good either. What if you ran so fast that we couldn't see you anymore?"

"Yeah. And, once again, you could trip and get scraped knees." Cornwall reiterated.

Madeline was starting to get annoyed now. "Well, what can we play?"

"Hmm…now that I'm thinking about it, there are all sorts of accidents that could occur no matter what game we partake in." Devon worried. "Perhaps it's best if we didn't play anything."

"I agree." Cornwall claimed. "Better to be safe than sorry."

"So…what are we supposed to do then?"

Devon and Cornwall scooped Madeline up and hugged her to their chest.

"The only thing we can do to keep you from getting hurt. Sit in this very spot and don't move at all."

"What? But that's not fun! In fact, it's the exact opposite of fun!"

"True. But it's also the exact opposite of dangerous." Devon pointed out.

"This is for your own good, sweetheart." Cornwall insisted, caressing Madeline's head. "You'll thank us for this later."

Madeline folded her arms and grumped. This was going to be a long playdate.

After what felt like several hours of sitting around doing nothing, Madeline had had enough and wanted to go home. Devon and Cornwall, of course, wouldn't dare allow her to travel back to Destin alone, especially since she had to go through Dragon Country to get there. Madeline could understand their worrying in that case, but not their insistence on carrying her the whole time as to avoid her 'feet getting sore from too much walking.' It was almost as if they thought she was a baby and couldn't do anything herself, an idea which Madeline had come to dislike as the youngest member of her family. It was only when they all crossed over through the portal between their worlds that the dragon released Madeline, but only after she demanded they put her down.

"Finally," she dusted off her skirt, which was all wrinkled from Devon and Cornwall's constant touch. "Well, I'll see you guys later."

"Wait!" Devon warned. "Perhaps we'd better walk out with you. This cave is filled with all sorts of creatures that could bite or pinch you. With us around, they'll be too frightened to come near."

Madeline shrugged. "They're just bats and crabs. Nothing to worry about."

"Maybe, but the middle of the cave is pretty dark." Cornwall reminded her. "What if you can't see where you're goin' and run into something?"

"Guys, I'll be fine. Relax."

"Relax? How can we relax when all we can think about are the many, many ways you can come into harm without us by your side?" Devon feared. "How are we to know if you need our help?"

"I guess you'll just have to trust that I can handle myself." Madeline told him. "Because the fact is you can't watch me one hundred percent of the time. Now, I gotta go. I need to pick a new unicorn to sleep with…"

Devon and Cornwall watched her go, their paranoid thoughts still ever present. They wanted to trust Madeline's judgment, but with how impulsively she acted by stepping into ogre territory, they couldn't help thinking about what other dangers she'd get into. What was more, they believed if something devastating happened to her, it would be all their fault for not being there. They stood around, pondering what they should do next. One thing was for certain: they weren't about to let anything endanger Madeline, not even Madeline herself.

Speaking of which, the little eight-year-old had soon arrived home. Upon returning, she gathered up her remaining unicorns and took them out to the backyard. She then lined them up on the grass so she could examine each one individually.

"Hm…" she picked up one with a blue coat. "You have a pretty mane…but also a really prickly one." she grabbed another, a pink one. "Your mane is a lot smoother. But I don't know, it's just not soft enough."

The child sighed, looking over her toys.

"It's no use. I love all of you, but Sir Sprinklehooves is special. No one could ever replace him. What am I gonna do?"

"Psst!" a voice called from a bush, making Madeline jump.

"Wah! Who's there?"

To her surprise, two reptilian heads popped out of the bush.

"Don't worry, Mads. It's just us." Cornwall informed her.

"Huh? What are you two doing here?"

The dragon approached her.

"Well, after you left, we got to thinking…" Devon explained. "You had claimed that we couldn't watch you one hundred percent of the time. Obviously, because eventually you would have to return home."

"So…we decided the best thing to do in order to keep our promise of makin' sure you don't leave our sight is to go home with ya!" Cornwall finished. "That way we can always keep an eye on our favorite girl."

Madeline felt herself being lifted off the ground and squeezed tightly. However, she wasn't so quick to accept this sudden affection.

"What? No! You can't be here!" she wriggled herself free. "My mom will see you!"

"Pish posh." Devon scoffed. "We may be terrible at hide-and-seek, but so far we've always managed to not be found by your mother."

"Yeah, if she comes outside, we'll just fly out of her sight." Cornwall added. "Easy peasy!"

"Anyway, we're far less worried about getting caught than we are of you hurting yourself. So let it be known that going forward we're going to stay as close to you as possible as to ensure your wellbeing."

Madeline was still skeptical.

"Look, you guys, I know you just want what's best for me, but don't you think you're going overboard an eensy, weensy little bit?"

"You kiddin'?" Cornwall chuckled. "Honey, with how reckless you've been actin' lately, we don't have much of a choice, now do we?"

"What do you mean, 'reckless'?" Madeline argued. "I only stepped in the ogre's territory once. And I said I wouldn't do it again."

"I'm sorry, dear, but we'd rather not take chances." Devon stated. "We love you too much. But don't worry. If you'd prefer, you can pretend we're not even here. No need to acknowledge our presence."

"Right." Cornwall agreed. "Just go back to doin' whatever it was you were doin' before we got here, sweetie. We'll just stand back and watch in case something happens."

Madeline raised an eyebrow at them both and shook her head. She went back over to her unicorns and squatted down beside them once more.

"Uh, say, what are ya doin' anyway?" Cornwall prodded.

"I told you. I have to find a replacement for Sir Sprinklehooves. But it's not working out so well. Maybe there's a chance we can get him back if-"

"Oh no! Absolutely out of the question!" Devon refused. "It's too dangerous! Furthermore, you really shouldn't be sitting in the grass like that, dear."

"Huh? Why not?"

Devon and Cornwall lifted her off the ground.

"For one, many insects live in the grass, including the ones that are rather partial to human skin."

"Yeah, there could be a whole colony of fire ants just waitin' to take a bite outta your legs!"

They set her down.

"Okay, okay. I'll just sort my unicorns standing up, I guess."

"No!" Devon blocked her with his arm. "Most likely they're already covered with those bothersome bugs. If you touch them, they could crawl onto you!"

"Not only that, but you might get poked by those sharp horns!" Cornwall theorized.

"Sharp? They're made of stuffing!" Madeline protested, but decided it was better to just drop it. "Never mind. I'll go play on the swings instead." she gestured to the small swing set sitting in the yard.

The red-haired girl took a seat and using her feet, pushed herself off the ground, panicking Devon and Cornwall once again. The two immediately grabbed onto the swing, stopping Madeline's momentum.

"What are you doing?!" Devon demanded.

"Um…swinging?" Madeline answered. "What's it look like?"

"It looks like you were about to launch yourself too fast and end up flyin' off the seat as a result." Cornwall noted.

"Yes. You can't rush into things like that, love." Devon lectured. "That's the quickest way to sprain something. Or worse!"

"All right. Then why don't you guys just push me?" Madeline suggested.

"Push you? We can't do that! What if our combined arm strength sends you too high?"

"Or knocks you straight into the fence? You'll have splinters everywhere!"

"What am I supposed to do? Just sit here?" Madeline asked.

"Of course not." Devon responded, not understanding the question was clearly meant to be rhetorical. "You shouldn't be sitting on it at all! It might collapse under your weight and break your bottom!"

"Oh come on! I don't weigh that much."

"Now that I'm lookin' at it, this whole thing is practically a death trap!" Cornwall observed. "Forget it, Mads. Swings are a no-go!"

Madeline was once again lifted up and put down, away from the swing-set.

"That's it. No chance of you getting hurt now."

Madeline folded her arms impatiently. "Oh goodie. I'm having a blast just standing around in the sun."

"Oh dear! How did we not think of that? You could get dreadful heat exhaustion in that spot!" Devon panicked.

"It's not even 80 degrees…" Madeline mumbled.

"There's also sunburns." Cornwall pointed out.

"My mom put sunscreen on me before I came out here."

Again, Devon and Cornwall weren't even listening and they placed Madeline under the shade of the tallest tree in the yard.

"There! Perfectly safe." Devon claimed.

"Guys…"

"No she's not!" Cornwall pointed upward. "This tree's probably got all kinds of rodents crawling through it. What if-?"

"I'm not going to get bitten by a squirrel, Cornwall." Madeline responded.

"Bite? I was just thinkin' about them collecting their acorns and droppin' them on your head. But you make a good point. They could be rabid."

"Ugh!" Madeline was growing more and more frustrated.

"Never fear, my dear." Devon started. "If you stand under us, we can provide you with the cool, head-protecting, diseased-animal-free shade you so desperately need."

"I don't desperately need anyth-" Madeline tried to say before being forcefully shoved under the dragon's belly.

"There ya go, pumpkin." Cornwall cooed.

Devon lifted her legs. "And, of course, wouldn't want your feet to give out. Ah, to think most children don't have a dragon to guard them from the terrors of the world." he stroked Madeline's head. "But you do. And for that, you should thank your lucky stars."

"Arrrggh!" Madeline threw up her arms and crawled out of their grasp. She then stormed over to the patio door.

"Hey! Where ya goin', sweetheart?"

"I don't wanna play outside anymore!" she yelled without turning around. "I'm going in!"

Devon and Cornwall stood.

"But Madeline, if you do that, we can't watch you."

"Exactly!" Madeline replied, stepping into the house and slamming the glass panel door.

"Well, all right. We'll be out here if you need anything!" Devon called. "Just remember to keep those shoelaces tied at all times!"

"And don't touch anything sharp!" Cornwall added.

"And put on a sweater, you might catch your death of cold!"

Madeline pulled the curtain over the door as the dragon kept dishing out more and more safety tips. She really didn't want to hear it. Those two were acting so silly and not in the way she liked or was used to. And contrary to what they believed, she didn't appreciate their coddling one bit and it was beginning to get on her nerves.

Oh well, she thought. They can't keep this up forever. I bet tomorrow they'll come to their senses and go home. Then I can finally have some peace.

Before long, "tomorrow" became "today." Madeline sat up in her bed, awaking from a fairly decent night's sleep, despite not having her favorite unicorn beside her. She had almost completely forgotten the events of the day before. However, as soon as her eyes darted over to her bedroom window, she was met with an immediate reminder in the form of Devon and Cornwall staring directly at her. She jumped at their appearance and opened the window.

"Oh! Good morning, Madeline." Devon greeted with a yawn.

"How's our little princess?" Cornwall gaped.

"Guys! You're still here?"

"Well, of course!" Devon answered. "Did you honestly think that your stubborn refusal to cooperate would discourage us from protecting you any longer? Nay, I say!"

"Yeah. We made a promise and by George, we're gonna…" Cornwall nodded off, earning a nudge from Devon. "…keep it!"

"I don't know who George is and why you have to keep promises for him, but whatever."

Madeline then took note of the duo's droopy, bloodshot eyes.

"Um…are you two okay? You don't look so good."

"Oh, we're fine, love. Just a bit tired is all."

Cornwall rubbed his eyes. "We didn't get a wink of sleep last night, ya see."

"Why not?"

"Well, how else were we to observe you through your window so we could detect any outside forces looking to disrupt your slumber?"

"You watched me the entire night?" Madeline repeated. "Guys, this has gone way too far!"

"Nonsense." Devon insisted. "You can never go too far for the ones you love."

"Speakin' of 'going far', though, mind if we carpool to the cave today? We're not exactly up for flyin' right now. It's takin' all the strength we have just to hover next to your window."

"And hopefully you have enough strength to get us into your trunk." Devon went on. "Because walking might be a bit of an issue for us as well…"

Before Madeline could give them an answer, the drowsy reptile fell asleep in midair and plopped into the middle of the backyard. Despite the impact, they didn't wake up.

Madeline buried her face in her hands exasperatedly. Not only was Devon and Cornwall's overprotectiveness driving her crazy and impacting her daily life, but now it was starting to impact their life and more importantly, their health. Madeline didn't know what she was going to do about it, but she did know that if she didn't think of some way to get them off her back, the two-headed beast would eventually get themselves killed trying to keep her from being killed.

She thought perhaps once she got to Dragon Country, she would come up with an idea. But for now, she had to push her sleepy dragon companions all the way to the garage without being spotted by anyone. While the two had woken up somewhat, they weren't very much help in getting themselves inside the Porters' car, relying solely on Madeline to lift them into the trunk. After much struggling, she succeeded and covered the lizard up with towels so her family would be none the wiser.

Devon and Cornwall ended up sleeping through the entire drive to the beach, something Madeline couldn't decide was a blessing or a curse. A blessing because she was finally getting a break from their mother-henning, and a curse because most likely she'd have to drag them out of the car like she did into it. There was also the matter of the two's loud snoring, but thankfully, Mrs. Porter believed Madeline when she suggested it was probably just the chainsaws people sometimes used to trim their hedges. Marcus was skeptical, of course, but Madeline wasn't as concerned about what he thought since nobody believed him about the dragons anyway.

Once they arrived, Mrs. Porter started looking around for their usual spot to put their things as Madeline had volunteered to empty the trunk for her. Unfortunately, Marcus had gotten the same idea and beat his sister to opening it. Upon seeing Devon and Cornwall snoozing inside, he was overjoyed.

"Well, what do we have here? Oh Mooommm!" he sang, running over to where his mother was. "Madeline packed us a surprise!"

"Oh no!" Madeline panicked, shaking the dragon awake. "Guys, we've gotta get a move on!"

Both of them opened their eyes halfway.

"Oh…yes, we will, love."

"Just give us five more minutes, okay?"

Madeline tugged on their arms, forcing them to stand. "Now!"

With all the speed and might she could muster, the child shoved Devon and Cornwall into the cave before Mrs. Porter could see them. Luckily, the latter was distracted briefly when she had to stop Cookie from digging in the sand.

By the time her mother and Marcus got back to the car, Madeline was already gone, having secured Devon and Cornwall from their sight.

"Okay, Marcus. What's this 'surprise' you're talking about?" Mrs. Porter asked.

"I'll give you a hint." Marcus snickered. "It's big, purple, and it's sitting in our trunk right now!"

Mrs. Porter made her son move aside so she could look for herself. Marcus grinned, believing he had finally exposed that dumb dragon.

"Oh my!" Mrs. Porter cried.

Marcus didn't even turn around. "Pretty unbelievable, huh?"

"Yes." Mrs. Porter showed Marcus a giant purple duck inflatable. "I didn't think we still had this thing. You used to swim with it all the time, remember? How thoughtful of your sister to bring it for you."

"Huh? But-but…where's the-?"

Mrs. Porter shoved the toy over his body. "Don't you look so cute? Stand over there so I can get a quick pic for my social media."

"What?! Mom, no! This thing is for babies! I'll be a laughing stock!"

"Don't be ridiculous. Now hold still."

Marcus folded his arms and growled at his own humiliation.

Madeline watched the scene from the cave. "Boy, that was a close one, huh guys? …Guys?"

She turned around to see that Devon and Cornwall were asleep once more. She shook her head. She was beginning to sense a pattern.

When Madeline finally managed to wake them up again, Devon and Cornwall carried her through the tunnel into Dragon Country. The good news was that the other dragons must have been out foraging or something because none of them looked like they were around. But the bad news was the three friends still had to get past the acid river to reach the edge of Dragon Country. Since flying was out of the question in Devon and Cornwall's current state, they had to use the stones floating in the river to cross. And due to the difficulty they had keeping their eyes open, it was easier said than done. So Madeline had to repeatedly remind them of which direction to go and also wake them up when they started to drift off. They made it across eventually, but not before a handful of close calls where Madeline almost got splashed with acid. If only Devon and Cornwall realized that them giving her constant surveillance was actually putting her in more danger than if they didn't.

Once that disaster was over, the reptile carried Madeline into their cave that was right across from the entrance to the Forbidden Forest.

"Well, here we are." Devon yawned.

"Wait. I thought we were going to the forest like yesterday?" Madeline asked, getting off the dragon's back.

"You mean the same place we almost lost you for good?" Cornwall recapped. "Not a chance!"

"Yes, we shan't ever set foot in that horrid forest again! It's not safe. Not safe at all!" Devon declared.

"Then where are we supposed to play hide-and-seek?" Madeline questioned.

"Right in here!" Cornwall answered. "Where else?"

Madeline looked around at the barren cave.

"But there's no where I can hide!"

"Of course there is!" Devon disagreed. "You can go…um…let's see…"

"There!" Cornwall pointed to a rock that was only slightly bigger than Madeline and he and Devon set her down behind it. "If it helps, we'll search this spot last so it won't look like we knew where you were ahead of time."

Madeline stood up. "No thanks. I don't think I wanna play any games today."

Devon and Cornwall scooped Madeline up again and sat in a corner of the cave.

"Well, that's all right, I suppose." Devon decided. "Less potential for injury the way I see it. We'll just sit here for a little while doing absolutely…" he yawned. "…nothing…"

Madeline grinned, for she was getting an idea.

"Actually, I'm kinda tired. I could go for a nice, long nap. And it looks like you two need one, too."

"Well…perhaps we could close our eyes for just a little bit…"

"No way!" Cornwall protested. "We can't both fall asleep! Who's gonna watch Madeline?"

"Oh, I think I'll be okay." Madeline claimed. "It's not like I can go anywhere."

"No, no, Cornwall is right, dear. Someone or something might come in and take you away and neither of us will be awake to see it. We're just going to have to take turns sleeping." Devon gaped. "Corny, would you mind taking the first shift? I can barely keep my eyes open."

Cornwall was already half asleep.

"What? Yeah, sure. You can take the first shift. Just remember to wake me up in a few hours."

"Hm? Oh. Yes, a few hours should be enough. Then after that, you can get some rest."

"Huh? You say I can get some rest? Okay, thanks. I'll let you sleep when I'm done."

"What's that? Of course I'll let you sleep when you're done…after all…I know…how…exhausted…you are…"

"You got that right."

"Okay, then."

"See you in a few hours…"

And just like that, both heads were out like lights, their loud snores echoing through the cave walls.

Madeline, however, was still wide awake. She looked up at her dozing friends and sighed relievedly. She thought she'd have to wait forever for them to fall asleep.

Quickly and carefully so as not to wake them, she wedged out of their claws and tumbled against the cave floor. At long last, she was free to do whatever she felt like doing, with no one to supervise her or tell her something was too dangerous. If she wanted to, she could do several cartwheels, somersaults, and handstands back-to-back, at least if she knew how to do those things. Alas, Madeline knew this freedom was short-lived and would come to an end once Devon and Cornwall woke up and reined her in. Now she understood how Cookie felt when her mom confined him to the backyard soon after the family brought him home for the first time.

But Madeline wasn't a dog and she certainly wasn't going to stand for this kind of treatment anymore. She had to make Devon and Cornwall understand that she was capable of taking care of herself. And the only way to do that, she figured, was to prove she could survive the one thing that triggered the dragons' paranoia in the first place…

The ogre.

Indeed, she was going to travel to the ogre's territory, find Sir Sprinklehooves, and bring him all the way back to Dragon Country. Once Devon and Cornwall saw that she could manage on her own, they'd have to loosen up. Then again, there was also the possibility that they would just keep a tighter leash on her afterwards, but Madeline knew she had to try. And besides, she wasn't sure she could last another night without her favorite unicorn.

So, the child slipped out of the cave, glanced at her dragon pals one last time, and set off on her quest.

The journey to the ogre's cave was not an easy one. To get there, Madeline had to get past the deadly Forbidden Forest and all of the creatures living there. It seemed like every one she came across had the instinct to act very hostile towards her. Even the ones who were too small to devour her whole were bent on harming her in some way. If there was one thing she had to give Devon and Cornwall, it's that they were right about the forest not being safe in the slightest, especially not for a little girl like her.

But Madeline wouldn't give up. Doing so would just prove the dragons' point that she was helpless without them. So instead of running away like any other kid lost in the forest would, she fought back. Every time a random creature attacked her, she would either kick it away, poke it in the eyes, if it had any, or whack them with a stick she found (after checking to make sure it wasn't alive first). Once the monsters knew she wasn't to be messed with, they backed off, leaving her only with a few cuts and scrapes.

After what seemed like an hour, Madeline reached the forest's end and came face to face with fog once more. There it was…the ogre territory. She was almost there. It wouldn't be long now.

Madeline had to admit that she was a bit scared. Not as scared as when she first ran into the other dragons, but she still felt that same shiver down her spine when she stepped into the fog. After all, from what she'd seen, the ogre was ten times bigger than the average dragon and she didn't know for sure if the stuff about it eating literally everything was true like Devon and Cornwall said.

But it didn't matter. If she could face off against a whole group of hungry, ferocious dragons, she could do the same with an ogre. At least, she hoped.

Madeline looked down at the ground and spotted a huge hole in the shape of a foot. She figured out right away that it was an ogre footprint, from the same foot that abducted Sir Sprinklehooves. She then noticed several more of these shapes along the path and began to follow them, eventually reaching a cave and going inside.

Meanwhile in Dragon Country, Devon and Cornwall were beginning to stir from their much-needed nap.

Cornwall stretched his arm and yawned.

"Boy, do I feel refreshed?"

Devon rubbed his eyes. "Yes, I must say I'm completely invigorated. Which is good, because we're going to need all the energy we can get if we're to supervise Madeline every minute."

"Hey, that reminds me. You were watchin' her while I was conked out, right?"

Devon's eyes widened with horror. "What? No! I thought you were! Oh dear, Madeline, were the two of us asleep this whole ti-?"

That's when the dragon realized that they were talking to nobody, as Madeline was not in their arms anymore.

"AAAAHHHH!" they both screamed.

Immediately, they stood up and started to ransack their cave, checking every nook and cranny for the little girl.

"Madeline! Yoohoo! Where are you, love?"

"C'mon, Mads! This ain't funny!"

"Come out, come out wherever you are!"

When it was clear that Madeline wasn't in the cave, Devon and Cornwall slumped to the ground, panic and worry etched in their faces.

"Oh Corny, this is dreadful! She's not anywhere! She's gone! We have to find her, and quickly!"

"How? We had to have been snoozin' for at least an hour. Who knows how far she could have gotten in that time?"

Devon forced himself and Cornwall to stand. "I'm not sure. Frankly, I don't want to think about it! Oh, how could we have let this happen?"

"What do ya mean, 'we'?" Cornwall snapped. "This is all your fault!"

"My fault?!"

"If you hadn't been so selfish and just took the first shift, none of this woulda happened!"

"Well, excuse me for not suppressing my own bodily functions! Something which, by the way, you could have done, too!"

"Hey, we both know I tire out more easily! Obviously, since I'm the one who does all the heavy-liftin'!"

"Oh, you're impossible, honestly! Anyway, arguing over who's responsible is doing nothing but wasting time. Time that we should be using to look for Madeline!"

"Hm…you're right. But where are we supposed to look? She could be anywhere!"

The two flapped their wings and took to the sky.

"Then we'll search every place we possibly can! And we won't stop until she's found! Because heaven knows I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to her!"

"I agree." Cornwall nodded. "I'd never forgive ya either."

And then, the two-headed dragon flew into the Forbidden Forest.

Upon entering the ogre's cave, Madeline gagged at how horrid the smell was. Clearly, ogres weren't known for their hygiene. She covered her mouth and nose and began to climb up the hill leading deeper into the cave.

Soon, she came to another opening and the smell got even worse. It was so bad, just covering her face wasn't enough to avoid breathing it in. It was so distracting, in fact, that she nearly fell off the edge of the path, which was starting to thin out. She looked down at how long the fall was and that's when she saw it. Lying down in the middle of the cave was a humongous moss-covered stone creature snoring loudly enough to cause an earthquake: the ogre. And across from it, sitting on a very high ledge, was Madeline's beloved unicorn. Madeline gasped at how high up he was and also at how narrow the path was to get to him. One little slip-up and things could end badly for her. But she had already come this far and turning back now would only render her travels pointless. So, with a deep breath, she scooted closer to the wall and inched down the path.

Right as she was doing this, Devon and Cornwall were speeding through the Forbidden Forest, looking in all the potential spots they thought the girl could be. They climbed every tree, wondering if she herself had climbed one and gotten stuck. They dove into every pond, thinking she may have gone for a swim. And they pried open every forest critter's mouth to see if she had been eaten. All the while, they repeatedly called out her name, hoping she would answer.

"Madeline? Madeline, can you hear us? Madeline!"

"Maddie? Are you in here, sweetheart? Come on out!"

"Oh, it's hopeless!" Devon complained, barely avoiding being bitten by a grass monster. "She's not here either!"

"Well, where else would she go?"

"I know! Perhaps she never came to the forest and just decided to head home instead! Yes, that's it. Let's assume that's what happened so we can put our minds at ease."

Cornwall was about to agree, until he got the shock of his life. At the edge of the forest, where the ogre territory started, he could see a trail of human-sized footprints leading into it.

"Uh, Dev? She didn't go home."

At that moment, Devon noticed the footprints, too.

"Good gracious! Not there! Anywhere but there!"

"It all makes sense." Cornwall continued. "This was the place where she lost her unicorn. She probably went in to get it back."

Devon began to hyperventilate. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, no, no, no, NO! Please don't tell me we're going in as well!"

Cornwall couldn't blame his other half for being terrified. He was probably just as scared, if not more. But he set his fear aside.

"We have to. Our little princess is in there. And we're the only ones who can help get her out."

"But…if we go, we could be killed!"

"And if we don't go, she'll be killed. That is, if she hasn't been already. Even still, there's a chance she could still be alive, which means there's a chance we can still save her. And if the ogre eats us, so what? I'd rather die tryin' to save my favorite girl than live with the guilt of not even botherin'. Don't you feel that way, too?"

Devon stared at his and Cornwall's feet nervously.

"Well…yes…"

"Then quit snivelin' and let's go already! Before we're too late!"

Devon nodded fiercely. "You're right, Corny! Madeline needs us more than ever! Onward!"

So, the dragon took their first steps out of the forest and into the ogre territory, their determination to rescue Madeline outweighing their fear of the ferocious beast. Though the latter was still very much there, especially when they drew closer to the cave where bones of all shapes and sizes were piled up.

"Oh my," Devon gulped. "This fellow has quite an appetite, doesn't he?"

"You can say that again." Cornwall noticed a skeleton that looked a lot like a dragon. "Oh no…I think that's Uncle Yorick…"

Devon picked up a tiny skull. "Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him well."

The duo continued on until they made it to the cave. Once inside, they started to look around for their human friend.

"Charming place." Devon stated. "I must get the name of his decorator."

"Forget the atmosphere and focus on findin' Madeline!" Cornwall lectured. "The sooner we can get outta here, the better! This only thing that smells as bad as this place is your breath."

"I beg your pardon? I'm not the one who consumes ten cloves of garlic on a daily basis!"

"Hey! Shut up!"

"I will not! Your hypocrisy needs to be addressed and I-"

Cornwall put a finger to Devon's lips. "No, really! Look!"

Before they even realized it, the dragon had reached the middle of the ogre's den. There they saw the big brute dozing right below them.

"Heavens, he's even bigger than I-mmf!" Devon blurted, before getting his mouth clamped shut by Cornwall.

"Shhh! What are ya tryin' to do, put us on the dinner menu? If he wakes up, we're history! So for once, do us a favor and zip it up, will ya?"

Devon nodded and Cornwall released him. He then gasped quietly.

"Look! Over there!"

The taller reptile pointed up at the edge of the cliff where Madeline was reaching down to grab Sir Sprinklehooves. Her hand had just brushed the side of his mane when Devon and Cornwall flew over and snatched her up.

"Hey!"

They carried her out of the ogre's earshot and set her down.

"Oh Madeline, thank the stars we found you!" Devon cried, hugging the girl.

"What?"

"Yeah, we were worried sick!" Cornwall mentioned, hugging her also. "Good thing we got here in the nick of time or you'd have been a goner!"

"We're so sorry about all the things you had to encounter without us beside you. I imagine you're traumatized now."

"No, I'm not, really-" Madeline started.

"Look at her legs!" Cornwall observed. "They're all scratched up! She's gotta be in pain!"

"It's not that ba-"

"You poor thing!" Devon cooed. "Don't worry, we'll take you home, get you all fixed up, and then we're never taking our eyes off of you again!"

"You bet!" Cornwall concurred. "We'll tie you to our belly if we have to! Glue our eyes open permanently! Whatever it'll take to make sure you don't do anything we wouldn't want! Now let us fly you outta here so you don't have to strain those torn up legs, okay?"

Madeline was fed up.

"No!" she screamed.

Devon and Cornwall let her go.

"Wha…What did you say?"

"No." Madeline repeated. "I'm not leaving without Sir Sprinklehooves!"

"Come now, dear, be reasonable. It's dangerous here. We're only trying to protect you."

"I don't need or want you to protect me! I'm eight years old and I can take care of myself!"

"Listen Maddie-"

"No, you listen! I'm sick of you guys treating me like a baby! Because not only is it ridiculous and super annoying, it's ruining both of our lives!"

Unbeknownst to the three, Madeline's ranting was causing the ogre to stir. One of his eyes slowly opened and focused on the girl and dragon.

"Ever since you saved me from the ogre yesterday, it's like we're not even allowed to have fun anymore! Because now all of a sudden, everything is a 'safety hazard'! But here's the really funny part! You two obsessing over every little thing I do is actually doing more harm! Not just to me, but to you guys, too! You've been losing sleep because of all this! If it wasn't for me, you'd be at the bottom of the acid river and wouldn't even know it!"

Devon and Cornwall turned around and gasped at the ogre's sudden movement. He was approaching fast.

"Um, Madeline?"

"Well, no more!" Madeline went on, not paying any attention. "I've put up with this for long enough! From now on, I'm gonna do whatever I want and you can't stop me!"

"Mads-"

"And the first thing I want to do is rescue Sir Sprinklehooves from this smelly, old cave like I was trying to do in the first place!"

"Madeline, please-"

"You can argue all you want, but it's not gonna work! I don't care what dangerous thing could possibly happen to me! I'm not scared of some big, dumb ogre anyway!"

Devon pointed up while shuddering. "P-P-Perhaps y-y-y-you should tell that to h-h-h-h-him!"

It was then Madeline noticed there was a huge shadow looming over her and she looked up. The ogre's hideous face was staring at her, as well as Devon and Cornwall, with a furious expression. This, in turn, made Madeline lose the furious expression of her own and it became one of pure terror.

"Uh-oh…"

"Looks like naptime's over!" Cornwall claimed.

The ogre roared, releasing a most horrendous odor from its mouth, along with a strong gust of wind that blew the intruders out of the cave. They landed with a hard thump against the gravely ground.

Cornwall turned to Devon. "Okay, I take back what I said about your breath." he coughed. "Yours is nothin' compared to whatever that was."

Madeline sat up and looked behind her. The ogre had emerged from the cave and was coming straight toward them.

"Oh no! He's back!" she cried. "What are we gonna do?"

Devon and Cornwall stood.

"Corny, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Usually I'm not. But I can take a guess this time."

"RUN!" both heads screamed.

Before Madeline could react, the dragon set her down on their back and sprinted away as fast as they could.

But the ogre's huge size gave him an advantage; it may have made him slower, but he could cover an insane amount of distance in just a single step. Not to mention, the ground would shake with each one, nearly sending Madeline off Devon and Cornwall's back.

"Uh, you guys? Did you forget you can fly again?"

The two screeched to a halt.

"Oh, yes!"

"Duh!"

They flapped their wings and took to the skies, accidentally dropping Madeline in the process.

"Ow!"

Devon and Cornwall gasped when they realized this and were about to go back and pick the child up…until the ogre did it for them.

"NO!"

The ogre brought Madeline up to his face and breathed another stinky breath onto her. She coughed and hacked at the stench. She knew her mom would send her straight to the bathtub when she got home. Of course, that was the least of her worries at the moment.

"Leave her alone, ya big galoot!"

"Release that poor child at once!"

The ogre briefly glanced over at Devon and Cornwall. Then without warning, they charged directly at his eye, knocking him backward and onto a sharp rock. The force of the blow also caused him to drop Madeline, who was caught by Devon and Cornwall just in time.

As the dust settled, Madeline panted, clutching onto her dragon friend.

"Phew…thanks, guys."

The pair nodded and embraced her.

"Oh, of course, love."

"What are friends for?"

Suddenly, the heartwarming moment was interrupted by the ogre getting up. The three companions jumped, fearful of what he would do next. But to their surprise, he didn't immediately start chasing them again. In fact, from the looks of it, it almost seemed like he was crying.

"Ha, ha!" Cornwall boasted. "That's right! You're not so tough after all, are ya? Cry, ya oversized oaf! Cry like the little baby you are!"

"Indeed, serves you right, you horrid beast!" Devon agreed.

Madeline, on the other hand, didn't find the ogre's crying amusing. She squinted her eyes and noticed something sticking out of the ogre's rear; it was the same sharp rock he had just landed on.

"Guys, I think he's hurt."

"Yep, looks like it." Cornwall said proudly. "Let's beat it while he's distracted."

"Now that's something I can agree with you on." Devon replied. "Come on, then!"

"Wait!" Madeline jumped off their back. "We can't just leave him like this!"

"Why not?" Cornwall asked.

"Well…I feel kinda sorry for him. Just think about it. Everyone needs someone to take care of them. I have you guys, you both have each other, CJ has his mom and sister, but the ogre doesn't have anyone. He's all alone out here with no one to look after him."

"And?" Devon snarked. "What's your point?"

"Imagine what it would be like if everyone was too scared to even go near you, let alone help you when you're hurt. What if instead of becoming friends, I just ran away from you guys? It wouldn't feel good, would it?"

Devon and Cornwall frowned and their ears drooped.

"No…"

"I suppose not."

"Exactly. And that's why I think we should help him by pulling out that rock."

"'We'?" Devon shuddered. "As in, you want us to do it, too?"

"Well, yeah. I can't do it alone. Not only is it too big for one tiny human to move, but it's too high up for me to reach. You'll have to fly me closer."

"Sweetie, are you insane?" Cornwall insisted. "This thing is ruthless! The second we yank out that rock, he'll flatten us like pancakes! And then he'll probably eat us like pancakes, too!"

"You don't know that. Maybe he's not as bad as you say. Maybe he just wants someone to be his friend. Can't we take a chance?"

"Take a chance? I think you've taken plenty of those already, Madeline. Absolutely not!" Devon refused.

"C'mon. Please? I have a feeling this will work. And if it doesn't, I'm sure you can fly away fast enough to avoid him catching us. Can't you just trust my judgement for once? Haven't I proven I can survive all on my own?"

"Barely!" Devon answered. Then Madeline gave them the saddest, most innocent eyes ever. "Oh…all right then. But whatever happens this time will be your responsibility, young lady."

Madeline smiled and climbed back onto Devon and Cornwall's back. Reluctantly, they flew up toward the ogre's rear where the rock was. Madeline grabbed onto its end as did Devon and Cornwall.

"Okay. Ready? On three…one…two…three!"

Using all the strength they had, they all began to tug on the rock. The ogre looked down at them, their actions making him confused out of his mind. After several pulls, Devon and Cornwall let go and panted, sweat forming across both their heads.

"It's no use!" Cornwall whined. "We'll never get it out!"

"Sure we will!" Madeline encouraged. "We just have to keep trying! C'mon!"

Devon and Cornwall were exhausted, but decided to persevere for Madeline's sake. Eventually, the rock started to wiggle, signifying that it was coming loose.

"It's working!" Madeline cheered. "Just a little more!"

They kept tugging. And tugging. And tugging. Until…

POP!

At long last, the three's combined efforts successfully removed the sharp stone from the ogre's backside and dropped it to the ground where it shattered into pieces.

"Well, now you can't complain about us not gettin' enough exercise." Cornwall told Devon while wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Yes, I'd say we've done enough…" Devon wheezed. "…for the next decade."

Suddenly, the dragon felt something stone-like wrap around their body. Gasping, they realized it was the ogre's hand and it was lifting them and Madeline up to its face.

"Oh no! Hate to say I told ya so, Maddie!" Cornwall yelped.

Devon started to sob. "Eyes, look your last! Arms, take your last embrace! And lips, O you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss."

"Hey, don't even think about it!" Cornwall scolded.

The friends shut their eyes, having no desire to watch their own demise. But when the ogre drew them towards his mouth, he didn't open it to drop them in. Instead, he puckered his lips and pressed them against the unsuspecting human and lizard, coating them in thick saliva.

"Blech!" Cornwall gagged. "Drowning in ogre spit, what a way to go."

The ogre repeated this action over and over again.

"Ugh! How revolting!" Devon complained.

"Hey! He's not eating us!" Madeline realized. "He's thanking us! Awww, you're welcome, Mr. Ogre!"

"If this is how he shows gratitude, I'd hate to see what he does to the ones who anger him." Devon sputtered.

"Yeah, I think I'd prefer it if he ate us!" Cornwall agreed.

Madeline just laughed. "Silly dragons."

The ogre gently set his saviors down and gave them a wide, caring smile.

"See?" Madeline smiled as well. "It's amazing what a little kindness can do. This guy isn't a monster at all. He's a big, fluffy teddy bear!"

Right after Madeline said this, the ogre reached under his arm and held out something tiny and white. He handed it off to Madeline, who couldn't be more delighted.

"Sir Sprinklehooves! I missed you so much!" she hugged the plushie to her cheek and that's when she got a whiff of him. "Eww…first thing I get home, I'm giving you a bath."

"Erm, I think we could all use a bath, dear." Devon stated.

Soon after, the ogre carried his new friends back to the Forbidden Forest. He gave them one last appreciative pat on the heads before stomping back toward his den. Madeline and the dragons waved goodbye.

"Ta-ta!"

"Thanks for everything, pal!"

"Don't forget to write!"

"Bye George!" Madeline called.

"George?" Devon and Cornwall went.

Madeline shrugged. "The name's been on my mind for a while and I figured it was appropriate. Well, at least everything is back to normal."

"Not quite, love." Devon mentioned. "There is one little thing that needs to change."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I think I speak for all of us when I say that what you did today was exceptionally daring."

"It was?"

"Yep!" Cornwall nodded. "You were incredible! Amazing, even! And ya definitely proved to us that you don't need someone babyin' ya all the time."

"Yes. Perhaps we have been a little overprotective these past few days."

Madeline smirked. "Oh, really? Only a little?"

"Okay, okay. We'll admit it." Cornwall returned the smirk. "We were in way over our heads."

"But you have to understand, Madeline, that we only wanted to keep you out of harm's way." Devon continued. "Little did we know, however, that by doting on you too much, we were causing the exact thing we were trying to prevent."

"You were right, Maddie. As much as we want to, we can't be with ya every minute to protect you. Sometimes we'll just have to trust that you can handle yourself, like ya did just now. Sorry it took so long for us to realize that."

"It's okay, guys." Madeline grinned. "I know you had good intentions. And it's not like I'm not going to need your help ever. Just next time, only do it when I ask. Or when it's an actual emergency. Like if I'm about to be stepped on by an ogre or eaten by a grass monster."

"Do paper cuts count?" Cornwall suggested.

"Uh, I think I'll be okay on my own with that one."

"All right, Madeline." Devon said. "We promise from now on only to worry about you when there's actual danger and to let you deal with everything else yourself."

"Good. And now that we're in agreement and Sir Sprinklehooves is safe, we have some unfinished business to take care of."

"What's that, honey?" Cornwall asked.

"Our game of hide-and-seek, of course!"

Devon and Cornwall laughed.

"Well, after what we've endured today, I suppose some recreation is in order."

"Okay, Mads. You know the drill. We'll count and you hide in whatever place you want!"

Madeline jumped off their back. "Really? I can hide anywhere I want?"

"Of course! And we won't watch you while you do it either! We trust you won't get into any trouble while we're not looking."

Madeline giggled. "Okay! I think I'll go hide in the whirlpool pond then. Once it sucks me in, you'll never find me!"

"That's good, sweetie. We'll-" Cornwall paused and he and Devon screamed.

"MADELINE, NO!"

Madeline turned around and laughed. "Gotcha! Hee, hee, hee!"

Devon and Cornwall looked at one another and then they laughed as well.

Okay, next week will be a new "Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee" episode, so stick around for that. In the meantime, it would mean a lot if you guys left a review telling me your thoughts about this story. Also, I'll be posting a new poll soon, so remember to vote if you want to see more of Madeline and the dragon's adventures.

See you next time!