Floating over Mermaid Lagoon on a raft, Daphne had been reading the map and tracked the changelings' lair.
Twilight swam over and jingled softly to Flynn, who followed the girls unseen by the changelings and the druun.
"Twi, what is she doing?" asked Flynn curiously. "It looks like she's leaving."
The young alicorn shook her head and magically made an image resembling Elroy.
Flynn remembered. "Oh, her brother, of course. And Dastardly's got him."
Twilight shook her head and imitated a changeling growl.
"Changelings?!"
"Yes."
This made Flynn open his eyes. The whole situation in Neverland was now serious. He flew over to Daphne.
"Hey, Daph!" greeted Flynn, accidentally jumping Daphne. "Are you sure the changelings took your brother?"
"Yeah, and I'm gonna get him back and bring back to our mother" Daphne replied.
"Really? I figured you love him, but how come you wanna do it yourself and not ask me or Rapunzel for help?"
"Well, um, I don't want to talk about it."
"Why not?"
Daphne was hesitant and annoyed by Flynn's questioning.
"Well, if you must know, we had a fight" she said. "And I have to set things right."
"Why?" asked Flynn.
"Oh. I told my little brother you weren't real."
"What?! Why?"
"Well, oh, I don't know. But I have to get back and set things right. That's why!"
Daphne stared at the ocean with a heavy sigh.
Flynn felt bad. He didn't know what to do. But with encouragement from Twilight, he knew had to help Daphne.
"Well, you know, you can't get to the changelings' hive that way" he said.
"I-I've got to try" sniffled Daphne.
"Well, you know, Daph, the only way out of here is to fly. Come on, I'll show you how."
Twilight lifted Daphne off the raft and followed Flynn back to the island.
That early morning, Rapunzel and the pirates resumed their search for the children, calling out to them: "Daphne! Come out, lassie! Where are you, lad? Elroy! Daph-a-ne! Elroy?"
"Kinda wish Sisu wouldn't go hunting for food" Tong finally said.
"She was checking the glowing snails, wise guy" Namaari replied codly.
Muttley kept on sniffing. He hated the island since the captain searched for Flynn a thousand times before.
Soon, the canine caught a whiff of blood.
"Rasm frasm bad captain!" he barked.
Namaari carefully examined the drop of blood within a footprint that resembled Dastardly's.
"Those pesky insects and Zhan Tiri were here alright" she smirked. "And the prints they leave, you can't miss the sudden change from man to monster."
They followed the footprints, in which true to Namaari's words, changed from feet to tentacles.
"Is Zhan Tiri… an octopus?" frowned Rapunzel.
Tong shook his head. "No. Zhan Tiri is a demon with tentacles for a torso than legs."
Then, they heard a loud yell, followed by panicked jingling and jangling.
"That sounds like the captain!" cried Tong.
"It couldn't be" Namaari said with a sad nod. "He's… dead."
Sisu then arrived.
"Pixie Hallow has been taken over!" panted the human-dragon. "All the fairies evacuated but the queens Celestia and Haven and their assistants have been petrified."
The pirates knew that time was running out.
"Oh, jeepers!" cried Daphne. "Oh, no, Flynn. I really don't think this wo-"
Twilight gently placed Daphne to the ground. She and Flynn had brought her back to the hideout where the Lost Boys were fast asleep expect Angry.
"Uhh. This is ridiculous. I can't fly!" protested Daphne.
"Well, of course you can't" Flynn replied, before he started to tease her. "But I can! I guess I'm just smarter than you."
"Ohh. I highly doubt that."
"Braver."
"Right."
"Stronger!"
"Oh, yeah, that's it. Well, then, it must be my good looks."
"Or maybe you're full of hot air!"
This caught Flynn off guard but Angry backed him up.
"Hey! Look, anybody can do it." she said smiling. "Yeah! All it takes is faith... Trust... and Pixie dust."
As she said it, Twilight sprinkled pixie dust on Angry and she flew over Daphne's head.
"Okay, Twilight, let her have it" Flynn said.
The alicorn was delighted and immediately started sprinkling as much pixie dust she could conjure until Daphne was all covered in pink/gold dust.
"Okay, Daph" Flynn said. "Ready or not!"
He pushed Daphne off the cliff to help her fly, but she fell down into the water with a loud splash!
"Oops" jingled Twilight softly.
When Daphne resurfaced, she was now mad.
"This is just a game to you, isn't it?" she snapped angrily. "Well, I'm tired of playing. My brother is about to die and I'm not there to help him!"
"Gosh, Daphne, we didn't mean to make you mad" Flynn answered nervously.
"Oh, shut up. You're just a bunch of silly, ridiculous children."
Twilight was offended and tugged on Daphne's nightgown.
"Cut it out!" yelled Daphne. "No, no, leave me alone! Oh, I don't believe in any of this! And I especially don't believe in this world! Goodbye!"
She then went stomping off, leaving Twilight in the dust.
"Oh, yeah? Well, good riddance!" Flynn yelled back, pouting.
Twilight flicked her tail and suddenly felt her magic fading. She whinnied to Flynn as she noticed her cutie mark was flickering like a dying candle.
Night fell and Daphne wandered through the woods, carrying the gem piece she took.
It didn't take long for rain to start pouring and she immediately took shelter in a cave, which oddly enough had glowing snails!
She didn't have time to worry, all Daphne could do was sit in the cold and stare at her reflection in the water, remembering her father leaving for war and hurting Elroy's feelings.
Poor Daphne. All of this just to promise her father to watch her mom and Elroy when she's barely fourteen years, but the war was the true cause of her frustration and disbeliefs.
Back at the hideout, Alberto examined Twilight.
"She's green to the gills" he said with panic in his voice.
"But she's purple" Lance replied.
Flynn listened as Twilight explained the situation of her un-well being.
She knew that if Daphne said she didn't believe in fairies, she would have been dead by now. But this wasn't death.
"What did she say, Flynn?" asked Angry.
"The fairies are in danger" Flynn answered.
He told the boys that unless they didn't find the one that she bonded with years ago, Twilight will lose her wings and her cutie mark, which was the key to her linked bond.
"Well, let's go and make Daphne bond with Twili!" Lance said, aggressively slamming a club against his fist.
"Wait a minute" thought Flynn. "Daphne wasn't even around before I came here."
"Neither were we!" agreed the boys.
The boys thought hard, but there was no one they knew who could have bonded/linked with Twilight.
"I know who did!" said a voice.
It was Namaari, who arrived with Muttley and Tong.
The Lost Boys and Flynn pulled out their weapons, but Twilight lowered Flynn's dagger with her hoof.
"Dastardly bonded with Twilight when he and I were children" continued Namaari. "He has a cutie mark like hers on his shoulder. So whenever he gets hurt, so does she."
"Twilight, is this true?" Flynn gasped.
The alicorn nodded sadly.
"Come on, Sisu is waiting" Tong ordered.
The boys went a head then Rapunzel came down, surprising Flynn.
"Rapunzel?" frowned the boy.
"Hello, Eugene" smiled Rapunzel.
But Flynn didn't see the little girl who shared her first, hidden kiss with, he only saw a grown up.
"You've changed" he pouted.
"Not really" Rapunzel reassured. "Not ever."
Twilight approached Rapunzel and instantly recognized her.
"Hello, Twilight" chuckled Rapunzel.
The alicorn whinnied excitedly and bumped Flynn, who smiled and finally saw his friend grown up but the same.
Though weakly, Twilight lifted Rapunzel off the floor for a short while. She still believed!
"Don't worry, madam. We'll get Daphne and Elroy" Flynn finally said, saluting her. "I promise, Rapunzel."
The two walked up the stairs with Twilight dragged behind. She couldn't fly but she could still walk while the group searched for Daphne and to finally rescue Elroy in time.
To be continued…
TBH, I always wanted to do a creature/villain life link (kinda like in Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal with the Mystics and Skeksis) in a fanfic, but I couldn't find the right story to put it in… until now.