Hey guys! So my head has been a buzzing with this story idea and I'm finally getting it out! Hope you guys like it!
Pitch took a deep breath of the cool night air, letting it out slowly through his nose as he closed his eyes, relishing this moment that had taken so much effort to reach. A decade was just a blink of an eye an immortal such as Pitch who had spent countless millennia roaming the far reaches of the cosmos, but the sheer amount of effort and preparation that had gone into the last twelve years made it seem as though it had been much longer. Still, all that effort had indeed been worth it, all the hours spent pouring over dusty tombs lost until he had rediscovered them, the days of searching for the needed focuses and materials and the years of planning how to acquire the proper power sources. His lips split into a wicked smile sharp teeth pale against his dark skin as he surveyed those power sources. Toothiana guardian of innocents and keeper of memories, E. Aster Bunnymund guardian of hope and herald of spring, and his personal nemesis, Sanderson McSnoozy guardian of light and weaver of dreams-all frozen in place, encased in chunks of glittering black glass.
"Look at you! Guardians of childhood-Pathetic. See what happens when there aren't five of you against little old me?" At that moment a moonbeam fell across the cliff face where Pitch stood, the pale light casting his shadow long over the ground. "Oh, don't be like that old friend. You knew I'd never give up, don't be mad that I beat your cocky, overconfident watchers this time! It's my turn now and I will not be denied!"
With that the king of nightmares placed the large mirror he had brought with him in the middle of the circle created by himself and the three frozen guardians. Throwing his hands into the air Pitch began chanting, his long fingers gesturing wildly as the surface of the mirror began to darken, shadows roiling over it silver surface. The wind began to pick up as Pitch's chanting grew faster, his voice harsh as he shouted the arcane words into the night; slowly the mirror began to lift off of the ground, dark shapes flickering across its shadowy surface.
With a terrible screech the glass prisons shattered-along with the guardians within. The shards shimmered and melted into shadow, rolling across the ground to gather under the mirror and coiled up to veil the gilded mirror. His voice reaching a fevered pitch, entire body swaying as his arms wove arcane runes faster than humanly possible, Pitch shouted the last words of his spell to the sky. With the sound of wind rushing past a cracked window, the shadows swirling around the area condensed over the mirror before bursting outward accompanied by the sound of shattering glass. Without the wind and Pitch's frantic chanting the silence on the cliff face was almost oppressive as the shadows slowly began to settle.
"What…where am I?" said a female voice from the shadows. A roar sounded, deep and angry. "What is that?" the female voice sounded again. Both were silenced as a low growl rumbled through the very stone beneath Pitch's feet. A gust of wind slammed into Pitch whipping his dark hair around his face as the shadowy mist was blown away, revealing three beings. The first was a woman with dark curly hair, young and quite beautiful. The second was a great bear, scars marring its black hide, its eyes a dark red. The final being was not standing on the cliff but was sitting at the base of the cliff, the giant dragon's head resting on the edge of the cliff. Pitch took a moment to bask in his success as he looked around the cliff; he had chosen his allies carefully, searching world after world for those who had the potential to be useful and a vulnerability to his manipulation. In the end his searching had found him these three, each powerful in their own right, each yearning for revenge and, most importantly, each very much dead.
"Greetings friends, welcome back to the world of the living." Pitch said, opening his arms wide as all three beings locked their eyes on the Nightmare King.
"Who are you and where have you brought me?" Said the woman, her eyes boring into Pitch.
"I, my Lady, am your savior, your friend-and your master." Pitch said, his tone going from friendly to deadly at the final title.
"Who do you think you are? I'm my own master!" The woman shouted, looking affronted.
"Mor'du is slave to no man!" The bear shouted. Pitch was pleased to find Mor'du spoke the same tongue as the bears of this world; of course Pitch spoke bear, any competent wizard knew a myriad of different languages.
Pitch's dragon speech was rusty, not having had reason to use it since the humans managed to kill the last of the great creatures in this world, but he could still understand the words of the giant beast as it rumbled a deep voice, "Who is it that dares presume dominion over Red Death? I would know your name, mortal, before I devour you."
"Easy friends, easy. We are all on the same side here." Pitch said with a placating smile, holding his hands out in an opening gesture.
"What side would that be?" Said the woman, clutching her shawl around her thin shoulders.
"Why my dear-" Pitch paused, gesturing for the woman's name.
"Gothel." She said after a moment's hesitation.
"Why dear Gothel, we are on the side of those who have been cheated by fate! Cast away by the world that made us who we are! Brought low by enemies touting some vaunted sense of self-righteous justice! The only difference between us it that I survived my brush with the rampant vigilantism that so plagues the worlds, and unfortunately my friends, you did not." All three of the other burst out at once, Gothel shouting, Mor'du roaring, and Red Death Rumbling; Pitch let their disbelief and protests run its course, it would do him no good to try and convince them until they had calmed down and besides, he wouldn't have been heard had he tried. When a semblance of order had once again returned to the meeting Pitch said "It's true my friends, your brush with your respective heroes had left you dead and, well, crushed, blown up, and aged to dust." Pitch pointed at Mor'du, Red Death, and Gothel in turn. "Fear not though, I come offering a second chance! You will serve me as I work to bring darkness to my world, and your worlds in turn!"
"What gives you the right to command us mortal? Surly you do not expect gratitude to win your my servitude!"
"Of course not my large friend! I command you simply because I know the most of what must be done to bring about our victory, and because each of your continued existence is linked to my will. If I so wish I can dismiss you from this world with a flick of my thoughts."
"And if I eat you? Snacks do not have thoughts to flick."
"This is true, however as I said your existence is bound to my will, so should I cease to exist, and my will along with me, well I'm sure you can figure it out."
"I must say, I am reluctantly impressed-" Gothel started, looking expectantly at Pitch.
"Pitch Black, Lord of Fear and King of Nightmares." Pitch supplied.
"Well then Pitch Black, I am reluctantly impressed by you. What would you have us do?"
"Ah good good, to business then!" Pitch said with evident glee. "Alone we were each defeated, but together no snot-nosed winter brat," he turned to Gothel, "Long haird bimbo," "he turned to Mur'du, "unkempt wild child," he turned to Red Death, "or bespeckled pipsqueak will stand a chance against us! Come friends, we have much to do!"
North jerked awake bolting up in his large bed, the vision still vivid in his mind. Looking out his small window to see the moonlight streaming in he knew his dream had indeed been a vision of what was occurring elsewhere. Quickly sliding from bed and getting dressed North belted on his swords and headed to his library. With Sandy, Tooth, and Bunny out of commission he would need someone else to help him deal with this new threat. He paced the room wracking his mind for just who; Jack of course, the boy had refused their offer to become an guardian after Pitch's last attack and North had to admit he was none too impressed with what he had heard of the winter spirit's activities since but that was all moot now-Jack had proved himself once, it was time to see if he could do it again. That still left North needed more help, as he thought, cycling through the spirits he knew the end of his dream came back to him. '' Long haird bimbo,' 'unkempt wild child,' and 'bespeckled pipsqueak' certainly did not scream 'hero,' but if Pitch's words were true then whoever these individuals were, they had already defeated these monsters one. Cracking his knuckles North went over to a particularly dusty bookshelf and pulled down an ancient tomb-Pitch had called his allies, now it was North's turn.
And so it begins! I promise it will pick up in the first chapter! Please comment and let me know what you think so far! ^)^