The planet was burning.
The blackened trees were twisting and writhing like massive skeletal fingers rising from the cracking earth. The elegant buildings of the cities were crumbling like wet sand as monstrous inky shapes clung to them shrieking and convulsing.
The grey wind tasted like iron, small shards of debris stinging his eyes and cutting his cheeks.
There were screams on the air and a terrible laughter rising and falling like the rush of a vast ocean.
The stars were going out above and the planet shook with the sound of fleeing footsteps.
The darkness was not coming.
The darkness was already here.
The warning bells were a funeral knell, ringing out as a soundtrack to the carnival of madness surrounding him.
He couldn't save anyone.
They were all going to die.
And it was his fault!
Bunny awoke.
He felt cold and clammy despite the eternal Spring warmth of the Warren.
As he rose shakily, he felt sweat sticking his fur to the grass of his bed.
Another nightmare.
The same one every night.
But it was okay.
He was safe. At home.
Home?
Home was far away and long ago.
It was lost to him forever.
His chest felt tight and he took deep calming breaths to ease the ache.
He would meditate, perform some light stretching then try to get some shut-eye.
As he had done every single night for the last month.
Ever since that little witch Cupid had stuck him with that arrow full of Pitch's stinking powers, he had not had a solid night's sleep.
He ran a hand over his face.
His eyes alighted on an elegant looking piece of card sitting on a nearby rock.
It had arrived a little before sundown and usually Bunny would have been glad to get it.
But the way he felt right now…
He crossed his legs and settled onto the grass, focusing on his racing heart.
He really wasn't in a party mood.
'I'm really not in the party mood', Pitch said sourly.
A cheery looking elf waved at him from the front of the invitation he was holding. It's little legs made of string kicked maniacally as he turned the card over, scowling at the glitter coating his fingertips.
It was an invitation to a get together at North's workshop that night.
His name had been written carefully in black fountain pen across the front and the card had arrived in a black envelope an hour ago.
Jack had not even managed to step away from the lair entrance before Pitch had leapt out and collared him as North's nominated delivery boy.
At least the card had stopped playing music once Pitch had ripped the little sound piece out.
Jack sat beside him, legs dangling over the edge of the balcony.
'You not in the party mood? What a surprise', Jack joked, 'Relax, I already told you Cupid won't be there'.
Pitch had steadfastly declined the comfy beanbags scattered around the treehouse in favour of restless pacing, eyes locked on the card. Jack found it quite amusing: it was as if Pitch was trying to read the paper elf's mind.
'Why invite me anyway?' Pitch asked, pointedly ignoring Jack's joke, 'Though I admit a formal invitation is better than being stuffed in a sack and dragged there by force'.
Jack knew North didn't expect Pitch to show up.
But with what Pitch had done at Halloween and then at Valentine's Day the month before, North had said it 'didn't feel right' to exclude him.
'Perhaps Pitch is not what we thought', North had said, 'I do not think Tooth would call him a 'friend' if he was in fact a 'fiend' do you?'
North was an optimist, simple as that: always trying to be fair.
It was probably Pitch's lack of these qualities that was confusing him.
'We said we were sorry about the sack thing', Jack said with a hint of weariness.
You didn't hear him going on about his treatment the first time he had been inside the North Pole.
He stood up and dusted the seat of his trousers.
'Pitch, this is North we are talking about', Jack said calmly, 'You actually think that guy is capable of having ulterior motives? He does this dinner every year and with everything that's happened, he just thought he'd invite you that's all'.
'Well you can save him the trouble in future', Pitch said, crumpling up the card.
Jack sighed.
Couldn't blame North for trying.
He noticed though that Pitch was still holding the card.
He stifled a smile and thought fast.
'Shame', he said, careful not to be too over the top with his resigned tone, 'Tooth's really looking forward to it'.
Jack pretended not to notice Pitch's head perk up and continued.
'With you two both working nights it's been kinda hard to see her huh?'
Pitch stopped pacing and looked at Jack, one dark eyebrow raised.
'Are you attempting to manipulate me?' Pitch asked wryly.
Jack looked at the Boogeyman innocently. He tried to imagine a halo spontaneously materializing above his head. He ruined the effect by giving a smile that was more of a grin.
'Is it working?' Jack asked.
Pitch gave a derisive sniff and went back to frowning at the card.
'Yeah it's working alright', Jack thought to himself.
'Come on Pitch', he practically pleaded, 'Good food, a few laughs and you and Tooth get to catch up. What's not to like?'
Pitch gave a heavy sigh.
He wasn't about to admit it but the thought of seeing Tooth sounded very pleasant indeed.
He enjoyed their talks but they had been thin on the ground as of late: Tooth was busy overseeing expansion of some of her towers at the Tooth Palace.
Surely he could put up with Frost, North, Sandman and even the rabbit for that?
He thrust the crumpled up card into Jack's hands and raised an imperious finger.
'I want you to listen to me Frost. If I do decide to go to this dinner (and that is a very big 'If') tell North not to make a big deal out of it'
Jack backed up as Pitch advanced on him.
'No singing. No dancing. No parading elves', Pitch said seriously, counting them on his fingers.
Jack was leaning backwards over the balcony by this stage and was relieved when Pitch straightened up and granted him the space to do likewise.
'Clear?' Pitch asked.
Jack used his fingers to flash him a cheery 'OK' sign.
'Crystal', he promised.
As soon as Pitch and Tooth entered, there was explosion of colour.
Confetti rained down on the pair, landing like snow on their hair and head feathers respectively.
It had erupted from a golden horn that an elf was blowing hard into, a triumphant fanfare blaring into the room.
The enthusiasm in the music waned as the elf noticed a pair of yellow eyes staring at him with undisguised irritation before the tune died altogether with an undignified warble.
Tooth, undeterred by the faltering entrance music, whooped in delight and tried to catch some strands with one hand.
She used the other to gently touch Pitch's arm to quiet the growl rising from his throat.
'It's okay Pitch', she said, smiling up at him, 'Everybody gets this. See?'
Pitch followed Tooth's pointing finger and saw Sandy standing a few feet away. His hair had been blown to one side by the force of the music and he was twiddling a finger in his ear. He had been plastered with so much colourful confetti that he looked like a golden ice cream dollop covered in sprinkles.
'Maybe we shouldn't have let him go in ahead of us', Tooth mused, concern creeping into her voice.
'We were only being polite', Pitch smirked, feeling a little better.
Schadenfreude was a truly wonderful thing.
'And we are going to keep being polite. Right?'
'I promised I'd try didn't I?' Pitch said.
He had shown up on time.
He had opened the door for her.
He had even brushed his teeth before coming and had breath mints in his robe!
What more could she expect him to do?!
'Yes you did promise', Tooth agreed, 'Remember our contract?'
The contract is question had been a small piece of parchment Tooth had presented to him before they had entered the workshop.
Basically it had outlined the expectations of Pitch for the evening vis a vis trying to be pleasant, non-violent and trying to keep the sarcasm to a minimum. Tooth had drawn attention to the emphasis on the repeated use of the word 'trying': she didn't expect miracles, just sincere effort.
The reason Sandy had been able to enter first had been that Pitch had refused to sign as he hadn't a pen to hand. Tooth had produced one that had been tucked behind her ear. Pitch had then insisted on reading the small print. He had gotten halfway down the third paragraph before he realised he could no longer feel his toes and signed it out of simple self-preservation.
'First rule of business; get everything in writing', Tooth said, leading the way into the room.
North had a roaring fire going in the great hearth. The globe in the centre of the workshop was shining golden, bathing the room in warm light. Colourful streamers hung from the rafters and wondrous, decorative mechanical birds twittered and glided overhead. Pitch could hear the distant echoes of North's voice from elsewhere in the workshop: no doubt preparing the actual dinner while his guests got warmed up.
The desired welcoming effect was somewhat spoilt for Pitch however due to some sullen glances in his direction from some of North's 'staff'. Yetis stiffened as they noticed him and he saw the hairs on their necks stand up. The scuttling elves wandering here and there parted like the Red Sea as he approached.
Tooth was deliberately ignoring it: Pitch knew she was too smart not to notice.
'Let's get mingling', Tooth said as she noticed Pitch catch up with her.
'Yes. After all I can't stay too long', Pitch said.
'Why?' Tooth asked, 'You have somewhere else to be?'
'I'm just concerned I won't find a windmill to climb before they light their torches', Pitch deadpanned.
Tooth shook her head in exasperation but not without fondness before something caught her eye.
'Oh look, there's Bunny!' she said, waving.
Just one look at Bunny told Pitch he would not be welcome if he accompanied Tooth and he knew it would be unfair to ruin her desire for a conversation.
He did not have to look long for a distraction.
'Oh look, there's a buffet', Pitch said to himself and headed for a long table heaped with hors d'oeuvreson silver trays.
'Hi Bunny', Tooth said in greeting.
Bunny shook his head and rubbed his eyes.
It bothered him he hadn't heard her approach.
'Tooth, how are ya?' he asked, giving her a hug.
'Fine thanks', Tooth beamed, making note of Bunny's raw looking eyes, 'North's really outdone himself this time huh?'
Bunny was staring at the floor.
'Bunny? Bunny?!' Tooth said, clicking her fingers.
Bunny jumped, eyes wide.
'Huh?'
'Are you okay?' Tooth asked kindly.
Even with his dark markings, Tooth could see shadowy bags under Bunny's eyes. His whiskers were crooked and his ears were drooping, as if he had no energy to lift them.
'Yeah yeah', Bunny said waving a hand, 'Just had a bit of a rough night is all. Nightmares ya know?'
'You sure you're up to this?' Tooth asked, 'You look exhausted'.
She had never seen Bunny look so tired.
Even at Easter when he had lost his powers he had been more animated.
Now he was smiling but it was like melting snow: weak and transient.
'C'mon Tooth, wasn't gonna miss North's annual shindig. It's nice for everyone to get together ya know?'
There was a slight clatter from the buffet table.
An elf had accidentally dropped a pile of sausage rolls off the tray it had been carrying and onto the floor.
Pitch was holding one of the rolls and was looking at it suspiciously. He looked at the elf and asked a question. The elf flinched, holding its now empty platter up like a shield. Tooth was too far away to hear what was being said.
Bunny was not similarly handicapped.
Pitch's question was whether the sausage roll actually had any meat in it.
The elf nodded at first but at Pitch's continued cynical stare, this changed to a sorrowful shaking of the head. Pitch made a disgusted face and placed the sausage roll he had been holding back on the elf's empty platter. The elf, visibly grateful for Pitch's dismissal hopped off the table and crawled under the tablecloth.
'Yep. Everyone', Bunny said resentfully.
Tooth touched Bunny's shoulder. She hid a wince at the feeling of the matted fur under her fingers. Bunny hadn't groomed himself today: his fur was usually so soft.
'I promise Bunny', she said, 'Pitch isn't the way he used to be. I'm not saying he's perfect. But he's trying'.
Bunny made a non-committal noise.
'Maybe he could help you with your nightmare problem?' Tooth offered, seeing a chance to establish common ground between the two.
Bunny's ears pricked up at that but for an entirely different reason.
It made sense.
Pitch's powers caused this. He could stop it.
Hell, he might even be bloody well causing it!
'Maybe he could', Bunny said and crossed the room.
'Pitch', Bunny nodded curtly.
'Bunnymund', Pitch responded.
'Food's pretty great huh?' Bunny asked with an attempt at light heartedness.
Pitch nodded.
Why did the rabbit look so weary? And when was the last time he had bathed?
'Makes a change from those rotten cockroaches eh?' Bunny laughed.
Pitch's eyes narrowed.
Was he making fun of him?!
No. He was overreacting. Too used to seeing Guardians as enemies.
'Makes a change from rabbit', Pitch said with his own attempt at light heartedness.
His attempt worked as well as Bunny's had. In that it didn't.
'Hey! I'm just tryin' to be friendly!' Bunny said, trying to smother the incredulity in his voice.
The rabbit was really starting to bug Pitch: no matter what he said the Guardian of Hope seemed determined to have a problem with him!
If that was the case, why speak to him at all?!
'I see that', Pitch responded, 'You're failing'.
He chose a small sandwich and eyed it critically.
Bunny ignored Pitch's obvious signal that the conversation was concluded.
When Pitch saw Bunny fold his arms out of the corner of his eye, he knew he wasn't going to leave him in peace.
'Do you need something?' Pitch asked wearily before taking a bite of the sandwich.
It took most of Bunny's meditation techniques no to punch Pitch in the face right then and there.
Could he really have something to do with these nightmares?!
Why?!
Just to laugh about it?!
'I haven't been sleeping well Pitch', Bunny said tersely, 'Know why?'
Pitch put down his sandwich and poured himself a drink of what smelt like mulled wine.
'Just stay calm', he thought to himself, 'Don't bite. No matter how satisfying it would be'.
'Too much chocolate?' Pitch asked, studying his drink intently.
'Yeah right. I've been havin' nightmares Pitch', Bunny said coldly, 'And they haven't been little 'uns'.
'Sadly nothing to do with me', Pitch said off-handedly.
Bunny thumped a fist on the table.
'As a matter of fact they are. Do you remember my planet?'
Pitch felt a vein in his forehead begin to throb.
So that was it.
Some fresh start!
'He started this', he snarled internally, 'Whatever comes next, it's not my fault!'
'Odd, you think I would remember a planet full of giant talking rabbits', Pitch said with a vicious smirk, 'They're rare enough nowadays'.
Bunny took a step forward. He was taller than Pitch and seemed determined to let him know it. Pitch could see himself reflected in Bunny's watery, tired eyes.
'Maybe you didn't get a good look at it before you destroyed it. You may have forgotten Pitch but I haven't'.
Bunny cast a glance over his shoulder.
Tooth was talking to Sandy, taking no notice of the brewing trouble at the buffet.
'Doesn't matter if the others think you've shed yer skin', Bunny growled, 'underneath a snake's still a snake'.
Pitch set his goblet down with a sharp clank. He turned to regard Bunny fully, eyes narrowed.
'Rabbits are afraid of snakes', he said in a low, cool voice, 'Shall we test that?'
'That an invitation?' Bunny asked, a humourless smile on his face.
He cracked his knuckles.
'I believe it's called a 'threat'', Pitch said, lip curling, 'You're just too ignorant to spot the difference'.
Both of them were smiling at each other. Neither smile reached the wearer's eyes.
An elf that had been approaching them with cookies on a tray took one look at the developing situation and backed away slowly.
'Let's settle this outside', Bunny said quietly, 'Don't wanna spoil the party'.
'We're not', Pitch retorted, 'We're just moving it outside. Let's see how well you dance rabbit'.
A shrill whistle stopped them both.
Sandy was tapping a foot irritably. Behind him on the other side of the room, Tooth was hovering, watching closely.
Pitch flounced away to join Tooth and Jack.
He was not in the mood for a lecture through sand Pictionary.
That left Bunny with Sandy.
Sandy pointed to North's image above the fireplace before sweeping a hand around the room.
Bunny got the message: Don't ruin North's party. Whatever it is, it can wait.
'Sorry Sandy', Bunny said sheepishly, 'I'll keep a lid on it'.
Sandy patted his paw. His eyes were concerned as he conjured some dreamsand.
He pointed at it then at Bunny before pretending to fall asleep. He opened his eyes after a few seconds and stretched, smiling, obviously satisfied from the improvised snooze.
A question mark appeared above his head.
Bunny realised Tooth must have told Sandy to check on him. Who better to help him gets some much needed sleep?
'Thanks mate', Bunny said, smiling gratefully, 'Some dreamsand might just do the trick'.
Sandy pretended to check an invisible watch on his wrist. He looked at Bunny expectantly and opened his arms questioningly.
'How long?' Bunny interpreted, 'I dunno. About a month. Nightmare's the same every time. You think there's something more to it?'
Sandy looked pensive.
'What was that all about?' Tooth asked as Pitch re-joined her.
Pitch blunted the cutting remark he had been preparing upon seeing Tooth's expression.
She was worried.
'Discussing the laws of nature', Pitch said and added under his breath, 'Namely the food chain'.
'Speaking of food, I'm starving!' came a voice.
Jack landed between Tooth and Pitch. Judging from the excessive snow dusting the shoulders of his jacket, he had just arrived.
'Nice shoes Jack', Tooth giggled.
Pitch laughed too: he couldn't help himself.
Jack was wearing blue soft looking slippers with bells at the end of the curly toes. They jingled slightly as Jack moved his feet.
'Yeah well, I promised North I wouldn't disappoint the elves', he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
'I know the feeling', Pitch thought.
A tinkling noise attracted their attention.
An officious looking yeti was ringing a tiny bell held proudly between two thick leathery fingers.
Once he was certain all were paying attention, he bowed and opened large wooden double doors.
They could hear North's laughter beyond it.
Sandy floated past them, followed by Bunny who gave Frost a friendly slap on the back.
He didn't acknowledge Pitch.
This suited Pitch just fine.
'Shall we go in?' Tooth asked.
Pitch bowed and waved a hand towards the door magnanimously.
'Ladies first'.
Tooth laughed and flitted after Bunny and Sandy.
'That includes you Frost', Pitch smirked.
'Hardy har', Jack said, rolling his eyes, 'Seriously though Pitch, I'm proud of you'.
He playfully punched Pitch on the arm. Pitch raised an eyebrow slowly.
'In here. Socializing. Makin' friends'.
'Not with everybody', Pitch said quietly.
'Hey, it's gonna be fine. I got your back!' Jack said reassuringly before swapping to a childlike tone, 'Now try and behave in there okay?'
Pitch half-heartedly tried to grab him but Jack was already beyond his reach.
He stuck his head back out of the door and winked at Pitch.
'Or no dessert!'