The Reluctant Dark Knight


The Reluctant Dark Knight

The Reluctant Dark Knight is the 20th and final episode in Season 1 of The Smurfs: Light and Dark. It is set to be approximately 45 - 50 minutes in length. It is also the twentieth episode of the overall series.

ATTENTION

This story is currently undergoing major revisions and scrutinization by the author. Upon completion, there is expected to be a great amount of change to the formatting, writing style, and plot development, so please be patient during the time. If you are a fan currently invested in this series, your support is greatly appreciated and the author hopes that you will like the oncoming changes.

Synopsis

After Peewit is tasked by the Good King's head chef of recovering the groceries that Peewit ate, he and his friends, Johan and Falla, wind up taking a detour to the Smurf Village, which is under attack by Gargamel. After being defeated, Gargamel cooks up a plan to take Johan out of the picture, having seen that the young knight is a formidable fighter and leader of their team.

While he prepares a dastardly potion, the trio also must travel to King Gerard's castle to help him choose a worthy queen. They suggest that his majesty host a Grand Ball with the hopes of him getting to know the considerable princesses. One the night of the Ball, Gargamel and Scruple disguise themselves as a castle cook and the court jester, Peewit, to sneak into the crowd. When they do, Gargamel finally succeeds in giving Johan the potion to turn him evil and confronts him when he is alone, telling the knight he will set him free in exchange for six Smurfs.

Will Johan sacrifice a few of his little blue friends to gain his freedom from the old wizard? Will his friends become his enemies if he fails?

Story

Trivia

The story was begun on June 6th, 2011 and the initial version was finished on January 2nd, 2012, but it continued to be revised up until September 24th, 2014. As of June 8th, 2019, the second draft has begun the revision phase.
The main title card (above) was drafted on an 11x14" canvas paper between Feb. 7th - 14th with both a red and regular graphite mechanical pencil. Then, it was transferred into Photoshop CS5 on a school computer and finalized with vibrant color between Feb. 20th - March 6th, 2012. It is Numbuh 404's first hand drawn sketch to be digitally colored.
This story was undergoing the writing process before the creation of Moxette, so she is not included in any chapter. Having caught this long after-the-fact, she has her last major appearance in "Moxette's Crazy, Stupid Love" where she is left being punished for her disobedience. She is returned in the start of Season 2 with proper explanation for the MIA.
Originally, this story was the debut for Falla Cye, but during the 2017 revision phase, it was decided by the author to move her debut to "The Thief of Boarsford" so that her introduction could have its own merit.
There are currently three versions of this story: the one posted here, the mostly-uncut version in one Word Document, and the revised final draft version in a separate Word Document. As of 2021, another major overhaul is underway due to the more recent changes within the series' storyline, the author's writing style, and desired character development.
The title of this story is inspired by one of Numbuh 404's favorite childhood movies, Scooby Doo! and the Reluctant Werewolf, because the plot is about the main character being forcibly transformed with the intention of the main villain's personal gain.
Peewit has previously met Scruple in "Peewit's Unscrupulous Adventure" and mentioned Gargamel when nearing his hovel in "Baby's First Word." This story was written prior to the author's knowledge of both events, but was later modified slightly for continuity purposes.

Continuation

Episode 19 -- "Dear Prince Theodore"
Season 2