Author's Note: Despite a major upheaval in my life, school kicking my ass, and everything else, I got a new chapter to you one day late. :P And really, are you going to complain?

Please read and review. XD I love you all, as you know.

Chapter Eleven: Pinning All Your Hopes (On the Horse That Won't Run)

The surface air was intoxicating after being trapped underground. Cosmo inhaled several deep breaths and launched himself to the surface. He shook his head to remove the debris from his fur and stared ahead. There was something important he was forgetting, but he couldn't remember what it was. Wanda was in danger and he had to rescue her. To do that, he'd have to gain entry to Timmy's house again and force himself to shift again, into a fish, to retrieve his wand. While he was still focused, he should attempt it…

"No, Cosmo! Not now!" Wanda's voice of reason shunted him back and he smiled. He was so focused now he had Wanda with him even when she wasn't.

He launched himself along the street and stared at his surroundings. They were on the outskirts of Dimmsdale, whereas Timmy lived in the suburbs. He had a lot of distance to travel and he'd better do it as soon as possible. Without thinking, blindly reacting, he shifted into the dog. He couldn't run as fast in his previous form. Wanda was in danger the longer he lingered. He darted off and got a couple blocks before noticing the pervading sense of 'wrong'.

A dog with a half crown, tarnished and glowing obsidian, advanced from a fence. It looked familiar and Cosmo yelped, backing up with his tail between his legs. He missed his wand.

"What are you doing here, faerie boy?" the dog sneered. "This is our town now."

"No…" Cosmo said, confused. "This is my town. Me and my wife live here. Who're you?"

The dog advanced and his blue and purple fur rippled. He bared his teeth and snarled; Cosmo looked back at where he knew the escape tunnel to be, and thought of his family trapped in Doombringer's clutches. He snarled back and did what was expedient. He rushed past and ran, putting all his energy into escaping. The dog didn't chase him however- he snickered and called after him.

"Don't worry! You'll meet my friends soon enough!"

Cosmo's gait loped him past stores and random people, perplexed at the green dog tearing through the city. He hoped a dogcatcher didn't catch him. He didn't have time to worry about it, but he really hoped he didn't. What would Wanda think of him then?

The scenery blurred around him. He knew where Timmy's house was. He could locate it with his eyes closed. As a matter of fact…

"No, Cosmo."

"Oh, Wanda," Cosmo said with a rueful smile. "You always know what's best for me. Too bad I never listen."

Nonetheless, he kept his eyes open and sailed past Timmy's school. School was in session, despite Timmy being missing and the universe being off kilter. He cast one quick glance at it, spying Crocker, and pushed past it. He hoped Timmy didn't end up like that.

A few blocks away from the school was Timmy's house and he panted, catching his breath. A gang of dogs, all with purple fur and various shades, advanced. They had half crowns lined with black floating above their heads and they radiated menace. Cosmo's tail flew between his legs and he whimpered, looking ahead. He was so close. Yet here they were and here he was, outnumbered and without magic. He could feel the ley lines rushing beneath the town and he hesitated, afraid he couldn't shift again and terrified he'd need to. This wasn't their town- it was his. Why were they here?

Gulping, he whimpered and scrutinized the street. The only way he could think to escape meant shifting again, but maybe if he sped fast enough…

He bolted straight into the thick and they converged upon him. Petrified, knowing failing here meant losing his shot at rescuing his family, he reached deep underground for the ley lines, which were shimmering liquid grey in his mind. He pulled them up over him and his mind's eyes changed from the ley lines to a small green sparrow, capable of flitting into the trees and evading half-breed faeries on the hunt. The dogs collapsed upon him and just as a jaw closed around his leg, he sprang forth, wings flapping madly, and flew up high onto a branch.

This was too much shifting without his wand and he trembled, feeling the darkness encroaching. The last time Wanda had shifted without her wand, she'd done it only once and been sick as a dog for almost a week afterward. Cosmo didn't want to know what would happen to him after shifting three times, with two more ahead of him. His stomach clenched and he thought he might be sick, but he swallowed it back.

The dogs yipped and howled and Cosmo flew higher, clamping his beak shut.

Oh, Wanda, I don't feel so good.

What he saw next made him plummet a few feet before he struggled back up. His feathers retained black on their edges; the dark powers he had to tap into were starting to corrupt him. Squawking, he flew higher and told himself once he got his wand, it'd be reversed. Wanda hadn't said that was possible, but she wasn't here right now and he was sure it was. There was no way the darkness would manifest itself in him forever. He just had to keep flying, flying straight, and he could see Timmy's bedroom windows in the sunshine.

He headed straight for them and smashed into the opposite wall. The windows were open. Timmy's parents were inside, seemingly ignorant it was a workday, and Cosmo shuffled behind the dresser.

"What was that?" Mrs. Turner said. "It sounded like a bird hit the wall."

"Now, now, honey," Mr. Turner said. "Birds don't fly into rooms, you know that. And besides, you're probably just tired because we stayed up all night wondering where Timmy is."

"That's true," Mrs. Turner said. "I just hope he's okay. He's never been missing this long before. Well, there was that time I could have sworn he went inside the TV, but, not like this. What if something happened to him?"

"I'm sure he's fine," Mr. Turner said. "It's not like a maniacal teacher bent on revenge kidnapped him and his friend and is holding them hostage somewhere deep under Dimmsdale. That'd be more like an action adventure thriller."

"Timmy!" Cosmo yelped. He'd completely forgotten, somehow, that Timmy was being held captive, just like Wanda, and he'd left Timmy in the cell while he bolted for freedom. Shuddering, he looked at the fish bowl. No wonder Timmy was angry with him; he couldn't remember a simple thing like being held prisoner.

"Did someone just scream Timmy's name?" Mrs. Turner said.

"You know what's weird?" Mr. Turner said, ignoring his wife completely. "Timmy's fish are missing too. And so are all his other pink and green things."

"You don't think there's a connection, do you?" she said. "Why would someone take him and his fish?"

"I don't know, honey," he said. "There are some strange people out there."

"But…but he never came home last night!" she said. "How could they have snuck in here to take his fish after taking him?"

"I don't know," he said. "You never know."

Cosmo swallowed hard. This was as good a time as any to shift into a fish and reach the castle. His body ached and he trembled, swallowing his fear. The transformations weren't permanent, and he'd get his wand as soon as he got inside the castle. He could do this. He had to do this. It was for Wanda and Timmy, whom he'd forsaken.

Picturing the fish form, he drew the ley lines over himself again and slammed into the bottom of the glass bowl. It rattled and Mrs. Turner caught it before it fell over and smashed onto the floor. Cosmo panted, feeling like someone was slowly crushing him. His vision faded in and out and the darkness approached, more terrible and powerful than ever before. It whispered to him, telling him he didn't need his wand, and he could give himself completely over to it. The wands were a handicap, it told him, and faeries didn't originally need them.

"I see one of Timmy's fish," Mrs. Turner said. "He doesn't look too good."

Cosmo shut his eyes and imagined himself rushing into the castle. His body would lift into the water and he'd charge inside the gates. The water buoyed his body and he swam straight through the entrance. He pictured it vividly, so vividly he was shocked to discover he hadn't moved and Mrs. Turner was rifling through Timmy's drawers to find fish medicine.

"I don't want Timmy to come back and find his fish dead," Mrs. Turner said.

He had to force himself inside the castle. How could he reach Timmy's room and abandon his family now? He pushed off against the bottom and fell. Gasping, he pushed again and rose a half an inch before sinking. No, this wasn't any good. Frustration welled within him, the same familiar frustration he felt when he'd tried to learn something when he was younger, before he'd finally given up on it. He pushed again and this time floated. Okay, floating was good. Now he had to propel himself forward.

"Don't you worry, little fish," Mrs. Turner said. "Would you believe Timmy doesn't have fish medicine? He doesn't even have food for them. What on earth do they eat?"

Cosmo focused on the drawbridge and amassed his remaining energy. It was a pitiful sight short of what he normally possessed, but, gathering it, he shot at the bridge, swam into the castle, and silently cheered. Yes, he was here, he could get the wands, and this whole mess would be finally over. He cheered, whooped…and realized something.

The fish bowl required them to be fish. The castle required them to be smaller versions of themselves, which wouldn't have been a problem with a wand. Cosmo flopped uselessly on the castle floor and struggled to breathe. White spots appeared before his vision and his lungs contracted uselessly. There was a faint light at the tunnel and he focused on it. At least if he died, he'd see Timmy and Wanda again. Of course, they probably wouldn't be too happy with him if he died and left them there.

He compelled the light toward him and it seared through him, burning magical conduits along his body and probably setting his Fagiggly gland off kilter again. With a loud snap, he slammed into the castle floor in his normal form and tested his wings. They fluttered with black lining the edges; he stared into the smooth, reflective floor and discovered his hair had black highlights and his body had acquired an unpleasant paler gleam, like he was turning into marble to contrast the darkness enveloping his hair and wings. He shuddered. He hoped the wand would fix that.

Unfortunately, unless he directly tapped into the ley lines again and risked further corrupting himself, he had almost nothing left. He couldn't even stand. He instead crawled, every inch gained feeling like a foot, and groaned. This was so hard to do. He wished he had Wanda or Timmy or someone else here. And they were all counting on him…

Edging forward on his elbows and knees, he pushed his way forward. Of course, the wands were in the furthest corridor, all the way at the end. He dragged himself forth, telling himself when he got the wands he'd be back to normal. Thankfully he didn't need much convincing. Unfortunately, he had more confidence the wands would restore him than confidence he'd reach them on his own.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Timmy snapped at Doombringer, whose eyes sparkled with malice.

"Before you got Cosmo and Wanda, Tootie had them," she said. "They don't remember because, well, what well run dictatorship wants people to remember their mistakes?"

Timmy went cold inside. There was a disgusting ring of truth, but he didn't want to touch it. Doombringer was the enemy.

"You're wrong," he said. "Tootie's never had fairy godparents."

"How would you know?" she replied curtly.

"How would you?" he retaliated.

Doombringer watched Juandissimo race down the tunnel Cosmo had created. Timmy's teeth chattered and he willed them to stop, for his body to relax. He unconsciously took a step closer to Tootie, as if to protect her from this madwoman. Despite the fear running rampant through his body, he met Doombringer's gaze.

"Because Tootie has magic," Doombringer said and smiled viciously. "Why else would she have magic if she weren't a former godchild? Half faerie? Ha. I control all the half breeds in this town."

"Tootie doesn't have magic," Timmy countered.

"Denial," she scoffed. "We'll see how you feel once I begin testing you."

"Cosmo's going to come back and free us," Tootie snapped. "And then you'll be sorry."

"Cosmo?" Doombringer laughed cruelly. "You're pinning all your hopes on Cosmo?"

"Yes, we are," Tootie said defiantly. "I don't know if I had them as my godparents before, but I do know one thing. He got out of here, which means he's smarter than you think he is."

Doombringer stared. Timmy's stomach somersaulted and he smiled weakly. He was actually proud of her for standing up for Cosmo, even if this situation was out of whack. And maybe Tootie had a point. If Cosmo had sufficient motivation, he could accomplish some pretty difficult tasks, by his standards.

And anyway, he'd rather be on Cosmo's side than Doombringer's.

"Cosmo or not," Doombringer said. "Today I start with Remy. Tomorrow, I come for you two."

She smirked. "Don't expect to see your fairy friends any time soon."

Strolling off, she returned the cell to its previous, non-barred state, and Timmy stared at the walls. Was Doombringer right? How would they even know? And how could she know if Tootie had Cosmo and Wanda, or different fairies? It didn't seem fair she knew so much more than they did and delivered the information piecemeal.

Timmy stared at the hole Cosmo had left and a purple sheen lit up the cell. He knew, without testing it, Juandissimo had sealed the gap. Shoulders hunched, he glanced at Tootie.

"What do we do now?"