Yes, our hero is called Flynn rather than Eugene in the title. But we'll find out soon enough.
Mrs. Darling watched sadly as Scooby howled outside, chained to a tree.
"Like, Mom, can anything harm us after the nightlights are lit?" asked Shaggy.
"No, darling" their mother answered with a smile. " They are the eyes a mother leaves behind to guard her children."
Rapunzel smiled as she was tucked in. She immediately fell asleep.
Agnarr frowned. He was still upset at how their father yelled at his baby sister and called their hero 'absolute poppycock.'
"Mother…" the eldest son spoke up. "Must you go to the party?"
"Yeah, Mom, you don't have to go!" cried Shaggy. "Father can go by himself!"
Arianna shushed the boys, then spoke gently to them.
"Your father is a brave man" she said. "But he's going to need the special kiss to face his colleagues tonight."
Agnarr and Shaggy stared in disbelief. Their father? Brave?
"There are many different kinds of bravery" Arianna continued.
"There's the bravery of thinking of others before yourself. Now, your father has never brandished a sword nor fired a pistol, thank heavens. But he's made many sacrifices for his family... and put away many dreams."
"Where did he put them?" Shaggy asked.
"He put them in a drawer. And sometimes, late at night, we take them out and admire them. But it gets harder and harder to close the drawer. He does. And that is why he is brave. Now, children. Don't judge your father too harshly. After all, he really loves you very much."
With somewhat understanding looks, Agnarr and Shaggy climbed into bed.
As soon as their mother left the room, Rapunzel opened her eye.
Is Father really that brave? she thought to herself. He seemed grouchy and angry.
Later, both Mr. and Mrs. Darling stepped down the stairs and out into the streets.
"Just like everyone says every cloud has a silver lining" Mr. Darling reminded himself.
"But, Fredric, do you think the children will be safe without Scooby?" asked Arianna.
"Safe? Of course they'll be safe."
Though she trusted her husband, Mrs. Darling still had her doubts.
High above in the clouds, a young teenage boy watched from the shadows with a glowing purple alicorn hovering over him.
They flew down toward the earth and the alicorn opened the nursery window with the magic of her horn.
"Go, Twili" whispered the boy. "Help me find my shadow."
You see, the night before tonight, Rapunzel caught Scooby who snagged the rather unusual shadow from the boy, who secretly came to listen to her stories.
The alicorn, whose name was Twilight Sparkle, flew into the room, only to notice a mirror.
Twilight began to fancy herself, only to notice something wrong. Her right hoof felt sore.
At that moment, she heard rattling. It was coming from the drawer.
"Psst! Flynn, Flynn!" whinnied Twilight quietly.
Flynn flew in and saw the drawer. He slowly opened it and out came his shadow.
Twilight backed away as both boy and shadow flew around the room. Flynn tried checking behind a chair, but the shadow tiptoed away.
"Aha!" laughed Flynn. "Come here, you!"
The chase seemed to last forever until Flynn slammed his shadow into Rapunzel's tiny bed.
"I got you." he said victoriously.
Twilight watched from behind the mirror as Flynn tried to use a soap bar to stick the shadow back on his feet.
However, Rapunzel woke up and saw the young teen.
"Flynn Pan!" she cried.
Surprised, Flynn rose from the ground.
"You really can fly!" Rapunzel smiled excitedly.
"What is your name?" asked Flynn nervously.
"Rapunzel Moria Angela Darling. Where did you live?"
Flynn pointed out the window, toward the stars.
"Over there" he said. "Second star to the right, straight on til morning."
Rapunzel's eyes widen, then she giggled upon seeing Flynn using the bar of soap again.
"You can't use soap" she laughed. "I could sew it on for you."
Flynn nodded slowly.
Twilight was about to approach, but was accidentally pushed under the mirror by Rapunzel. The alicorn was jealous!
"This may hurt a little." Rapunzel peeped.
As she sewed the shadow on, Flynn winched and groaned. Twilight watched with rage, thinking Rapunzel would hurt him.
Once it was done, Flynn danced and the shadow did the same on the wall.
"Oh, the cleverness of me!" he cheered.
Rapunzel pouted, thinking of Flynn's cockiness as if she did nothing at all. But she did help a little bit.
"You know, Blondie, one girl is worth more than boys." smiled Flynn.
Rapunzel smiled back with a blush as if to say 'You really think so?'
"I live with boys... the Lost Boys."
"Oh, yes, they're your buddies" Rapunzel replied.
"Uh-huh."
Rapunzel giggled as Flynn played with his shadow. Then, she remembered her father's harsh words. Now, she may never see Flynn again if she has to grow up and watch her brothers move into a different room.
Soon, Flynn flew toward the window.
"Flynn, wait!" cried Rapunzel.
"I have to tell them the rest of the story" Flynn replied. "The one about the lady and the glass slippers."
"They found her and they lived happily ever after."
Flynn smiled, he knew it.
"You know you could tell us stories" he said finally. "In Neverland."
Rapunzel beamed at the idea. It seemed like a wonderful idea, going to a place where you never have to grow up or grow old.
But wait. What would her mother say? Wouldn't her father be furious than ever?
"Oh, Never Land" sighed Rapunzel. "Oh, I... I-I'm so happy I should like to give you... a... kiss."
Hearing this from behind the mirror, Twilight gasped, then growled, her horn glowing.
"What's that?" asked Flynn.
Rapunzel then approached him, her lips puckered.
But before she could touch his, Rapunzel was magically pulled back by her hair. It was Twilight!
The little girl screamed as the alicorn banged her head against the bedpost.
"STOP!" yelled Flynn. "Stop it, Twilily! Twilight! Twilight, no!"
He chased her around the room, bouncing on Agnarr and Shaggy's beds, waking them up.
"Zoinks!" Shaggy said excitedly. "Agnarr, look!"
"Oh, my!" his older brother gasped.
Flynn then pinned Twilight to the floor.
"That was brilliant" Agnarr said.
Flynn gasped at the young boys in front of him.
"Hi there!" Shaggy greeted. "I'm Shaggy. That's my brother, Agnarr."
Agnarr held out his hand for a handshake, but Flynn stared at him blankly.
"Is that a pony?" Rapunzel moaned, scratching the back of her head.
"Twilight Sparkle" Flynn answered. "She's my fairy."
Agnarr shook his head. "What? But there's no such thing-—"
Flynn quickly cupped Agnarr's mouth.
"Hey, don't say it" he said sternly. "Every time somebody says that, a fairy somewhere falls down dead. And I can't have fun with her if she's dead!"
Twilight whinnied wildly, which sounded like high pitched bells to the kids.
Rapunzel and Shaggy frowned.
"Like what did she say?" Shaggy asked.
"She's not very polite" said Flynn nervously. "She said if your baby sister tries to give me a kiss again, she'll get her."
Rapunzel gasped in shock.
"I thought fairies are supposed to be charming" she cried.
Twilight mocked her and then flew away.
Flynn then smiled and stood on the bedpost.
"Come away to Neverland" he said.
The children were excited. But there was one problem…
"But we cannot fly" Agnarr protested.
"Just think happy thoughts" Flynn insisted.
"Any happy, little thoughts?" the children said in unison.
Flynn nodded.
The three siblings thought hard.
"Like toys at Christmas? Sleigh bells, snow?"
Flynn nodded again and flew into the air.
"Watch me now. Here I go! It's easier than pie."
"He can fly!" cried Rapunzel.
"He can fly!" cheered Agnarr.
"He flew!" Shaggy laughed.
Flynn then landed at the window.
"Now you try" he said with a grin. "All it takes is faith and trust… and a little bit of pixie dust. Think of the happiest things. It's the same as having wings."
Agnarr thought of swords, daggers and adventure.
He ran across his bed and jumped, only to crash into the toy chest.
Twilight tried hard not to laugh, her hoof to her mouth. She then used her horn to sprinkle pixie dust on Agnarr.
"Look! I'm rising off the floor!" exclaimed Agnarr.
It was Shaggy's turn. He thought of pudding, mud pies, never taking baths again and being an Indian brave.
Just as he leapt off the bed, Twilight flew over and sprinkled pixie dust on him.
"Agnarr! Raps, look! I'm flying!" Shaggy cheered.
Outside, Scooby saw the boys flying in their rooms and panicked.
"Ruh-oh!" he barked. "Better get help."
Using all his might, Scooby pulled the chain off and ran to find Mr. and Mrs. Darling.
He ran down the streets, yelping at the incoming cars.
Finally, it was Rapunzel's turn. But Twilight refused to place pixie dust on her.
Flynn stomped on Twilight's tail, making the small alicorn scream and her horn uncontrollably shoot pixie dust on Rapunzel.
The little girl smiled as she floated into the air, her long hair dragging the floor.
"Oh, my! We can fly!" Rapunzel shrieked excitedly.
"You can fly!" Flynn chimed in.
"We can fly!" the Darling children said in unison.
At the party, Mr. Darling had managed to face his comrades at the bank.
"Finally, real respect from adults" he said.
Just then, Mrs. Darling approached him.
"Fredric, the children are in trouble" she said worriedly.
"What? Who told…?" Mr. Darling panicked.
"It's Scooby he said he saw Agnarr and Norville flying in the room with a strange boy."
"Come on, everybody!" Flynn said, gesturing the window.
But the children frowned.
"What about Mother?" asked Rapunzel.
"Father?" agreed Agnarr.
"Scooby?" Shaggy sighed.
But Flynn then thought of cheering them up with what's in Neverland.
"Forget them" he whispered. "There are merponies…the Northuldra… pirates."
Agnarr and Shaggy gasped even louder.
"Come with me and we will never, never worry about grownup things again."
Excited, the boys followed Twilight out the window ahead of Flynn and Rapunzel.
Rapunzel thought it over then looked up to Flynn.
"Never is an awfully long time" she said sadly.
At that moment, Mr. and Mrs. Darling burst through the front door with Scooby ahead of them. They raced for the nursery.
It would be delightful to report that they reached the nursery in time. But then there would be no story.
When they got there, the Darlings found the beds empty and Scooby barking at the window. There was no denying it.
Their children have gone to Neverland.
The children flew across London, following Flynn and Twilight. Once they got to Big Ben, they turned and flew toward the second star to the right.
To be continued…