A Little Imagination Thrown In Chapter 2
Time jump: 300 years after meeting Jack Frost
I took one last look at my library, yes after all these years it was mine. I walked out the door and into a busy street of a large town. Looking around for Jack I saw him playing in the wind high above, I unfurled my wings and leaped, reaching Jack in a matter of seconds. He smiled his mischievous smile and threw a snowball at me, I dodged and created a ball of my own, I threw it at him and he dodged as well. I had learned of my ability to conjure up anything imaginable in my second year of training after my training sword broke right as I was going on the offensive. I dropped it and pulled a new one out of nowhere. Alexander had given me a look that told me he had known about the ability long before I did. Anyways, Jack and I raced though the air moving above the city yelling to each other so we could hear one another.
"How long are you staying this time?" Jack asked
"Longer than usual" I replied "The library's doing its update, so that will take at least two months"
"Good" he said, "maybe we could do another '68?" Jack was referring to the other time I had an extended break, we had combined our abilities and created a blizzard on Easter Sunday, much to Aster's anger. It had been a lot of fun, and Aster, for reasons unknown,
hated me already so no harm had come.
"Maybe" I replied "How far is it to Easter again?"
"About two days" he said, "So I think we should give kids a snow day, what do ya say"
"Sure" I said, "Ruffle Bunnymund's fur a bit" He smiled and dove down and I followed him. Soon we came across a kid reading a book and Jack blew it out of his hand.
"Interesting book you have there" he said to the kid "any good?" he asked turning towards me. I shrugged,
"Library's down, I don't have anything to say for it" Jack nodded and we followed the kid. I listened with half an ear as the kids talked, checking on the Library's progress. Apparently everything was becoming a tablet. I inwardly groaned, the Library had just installed computers and now it was jumping forward again. Suddenly Jack went,
"Hey" and I looked towards him watching him glare at the mother, knowing why he was mad. With no one to believe in him it had become a sore point for him whenever someone said he wasn't real. I sighed and gave him a wink, throwing a little snow at the woman. It hit the back of her head and she whipped around looking for the source. The kids were gone so she just shrugged it off.
Jack and I followed the kids as they ran to play in the snow. Jack had his mischievous grin and threw one of his special snowballs at them. This snowball caused anyone hit with it to suddenly have a need for fun. Soon after a snowball fight started and we ran around, giving ammo and helping the kids along. Suddenly one hit a rather large mean girl. I switched on my Sight worried about what she might do. I chuckled aloud as I saw what here favorite thing was, Unicorns. A tough girl like her loved unicorns? It was a good thing to see in a young child's mind. Suddenly Jack hit her with a special snowball causing her to laugh and join in. It eventually became her chasing the other kids, trying to hit them with a snowman head. Jack created a bit of ice and the kid, Jamie, tripped onto his sled and slid down the hill. Jack and I had done this type of thing before so we knew what to do. Jack created a track of ice and drove the kid around town while I made sure the coast was clear, we had a few close calls but eventually the kid landed in a snow pile. For a few tense seconds we waited for him to get up. When he did he began to laugh, then out of nowhere a sofa hits him. Jack and I both wince and I shrugged at him apologetically. The kid got up holding a tooth; he and the other kids began to rattle about the tooth fairy. Jack and I looked at each other, both stung by Jamie ignoring us. We raced after him and tried to make ourselves known. Finally it started to get dark and we left the kids. Walking on the telephone poles Jack and I talked, after a few minutes Sandman began to work, his sand spreading to every corner of the city. I watched as each strand formed something new. Jack and I smiled wistfully at each other and walked on. Suddenly a dark shape flashed by, Jack and I were alert at once. He lifted his staff and I created my bow and arrows. We nodded to each other and followed it; we arrived in a dark alley where an Australian accented voice said,
"Fancy meeting you mates here, when was the last time? 68' perhaps?" We relaxed recognizing the voice. It was The Easter bunny, Bunnymund.
"Your still not mad about that are you?" Jack said, smiling.
"You bet I am, but I'm not here about that," Bunnymund said stepping into the light. He motioned with his hand and in a split second Jack was in a bag trying to force his way out. I felt the movement of air behind me; I rolled forward and jumped, running away, automatically trying to go to the Library, but it was still locked. So I ran and fell right into Bunnymund's warren hole where two more yetis waited for me. I was shoved into the sack and thrown again into a portal. I landed with an oomph next to Jack. I quickly pushed my way out of the sack and stood next to Jack, ready for whatever was coming. It wasn't as I expected, Jack was glaring at the four spirits in front of us, these four were the same ones painted into the glass on my ceiling. North, Toothinia, Sandman and Bunnymund, there had clearly been an argument, and judging by the apparently abandoned trumpet on the floor, a fanfare to welcome us.
"Ah, welcome Conrí" North said in a thick Russian accent "I'm happy to see you've arrived, now you can both take the oath and- "Wait what oath!" I said cutting him off "The oath of the Guardians?"
"Yes," North replied "And you and Jack are to be members!"
"No way!" I said, "I am not Guardian material, you guys are all about work, I actually like to play around with the library and read and go do stuff with Jack. Not work on Easter eggs or toys"
"That's exactly as I said" Jack said, "I don't want to be a guardian and neither does Conrí!" We stood facing them as they stared us down; Bunnymund was glaring at me with exceptional hatred. Finally I broke the silence as my annoyance reached a peak high. "Alright Bunnymund, spit it out!"
"Spit what out?" Toothinia said.
"Why he hates me so much," I said, "Every time I met him he gives me this death stare for no reason. Even before the 68' incident he decided to hate me. It's time he told me why."
"If you have to ask why, then there is no point to it" Bunnymund yelled getting up close and in my face "If you don't feel sorry about it then I have no reason to talk to you about it." My face contorted as it expressed my anger and a side of me that had never come up to the surface began to emerge, darkness inside my soul that washed out all light. My voice dropped as I said,
"Tell me now or I swear I will rip it from you along with any memories you have, by the time I'm done with you all that'll be left is a quivering ball of fur that can't speak a word of sense" Jack stared at me, frightened. He had never seen this part of me; I had never let it go this far. Images were flashing above Sandy's head faster than anytime I had seen before, Toothinia stepped back scared, even North had a stricken look. Only Bunnymund hadn't cowered, it was almost like he had seen it before. North shoved his way between us saying,
"Bunny, go for a walk, Conrí, Jack come with me" Jack glanced at me and nodded following him. I went with them, anger seething through me as my thoughts were in a whirl. North took us into his workshop and made Jack stay outside. He locked the door and turned towards me and said,
"By the Man in Moon, what in hell was that!" he shouted, "I could see you and Bunny had tension but never have I seen two spirits act like that"
"Ask him!" I shouted back, "He has hated me for over two hundred years, ever since I first met him. He's been nothing but an asshole since I first introduced myself! He won't even tell me why!" North mulled that over for a moment,
"You really have no idea why he treats you this way?"
"No, I don't," I replied "And unless you have something else to tell me I'm leaving" I turned and shattered the lock, reconstructing it as I walked out. Motioning to Jack I said, "Go in, he wants talk to you next." I headed to the balcony and watched as yetis ran around building toys and moving them around. As I stood there I started to strip away the various defenses I had erected around my mind. As my abilities came to the forefront I began to see and feel everything around me. In my time of training my powers had grown to an almost unbearable point, gradually I had learned to cut it off. Now, as the feelings swelled and throbbed around me I fully embraced the sea of the yetis' psyche. I could feel their joy at the construction of the toys. Below it was a happiness of life and as I sank down into the consciousness my heart slowed and I no longer felt quite as angry, the darkness I felt receded and I reached a state of equilibrium. Until Bunnymund came running around the corner, that is. My anger flared up, but this time I kept it under control. I motioned to the door and said "They're in there." He ran in saying, "We have a problem at Tooth Palace." I raised my head as they ran out with Jack motioning to me. I followed down into the lower levels of the workshop. "We'll take the sleigh," North said.
"Oh no, I'm not getting in any rickety old…" Jack said trailing off as a group of giant reindeer strode out of a large hall dragging behind them a large, red beautifully crafted sleigh. Bunnymund took one look and said' "I think I'll be safer taking my warrens, mate."
"Nonsense" North replied; "Come along" He grabbed Bunnymund by his boomerang straps and flicked the reins, causing the sled to charge forward. We traveled down an ice tunnel, picking up speed as we went along. Jack and I laughed in delight at Bunnymund's face, which was turning a light shade of green under his fur. I then checked on my Library again, most data was still converting but I could access a few books. I picked one at random and began browsing. As I finished the first chapter a sudden shaking woke me from of my reading. Startled, I nearly fell out of the sleigh, but steadied myself with my wings in time. Sandy, North and Bunnymund looked towards me but said nothing, lines of worry creasing their faces. Jack, who had shaken me, pointed worriedly. A swarm of black things raced towards us. I pulled up my bow and sighted one of them, tracking its progress towards us. Then the first one raced by, it was a small black horse made of shiny sand. Then we saw what it was chasing, "They're chasing the fairies!" Jack yelled. I jumped up; wings spread, and shot a horse. The shot sliced through it and a group of teeth containers fell onto the sleigh. "They're taking the teeth too!" I shouted back.
"Put her down in the palace" North yelled, "We can only help the fairies by stopping Pitch" North pulled on the reins and we headed down. Jack was cupping something in his hands but I was too busy to notice it. I flipped through my Library, looking for something, anything to help me with these creatures. I found the book and blazed through it, in the blink of an eye. As I did my skin turned cold, disbelief flavored my emotions. I looked up at the black dots in the distance and started wondering. As the sled hit the floor, I flipped out and ran to Sandy, trying to tell him about what I had just read. I never got the chance, Jack was already there talking to Toothinia, reassuring her. I stopped and turned, feeling a dark, cold, distinctly evil feeling slipping down my spine. In response my own darkness stirred inside, mewling as if it had met it's own mother. I pushed it down, deep inside of myself. I looked around and heard a voice say "My, my, the big four in one place? I'm absolutely star-struck"
Our heads followed the voice up to a platform above us, to a man dressed entirely in black. No, not dressed, the cloak seemed to come out of his skin, his grey pallor setting off his bright gold, evil eyes.
"Get down here Pitch!" North yelled. As if summoned by his voice, a black horse reared up next to Pitch, causing all of us to take a step back. He smiled and said,
"Recognize it Sandman? You should. It took me a little while to perfect this trick. Why don't you tell them what it is Conrí? Oh yes, I know you know. After all you have that accursed Library of yours." I instinctively took a step back, "How did you- "Know? Is that what you were going to say? I've encountered you Bookkeepers before, you with your pesky need to put yourself in where you're not wanted, so go on tell them!" His last words punctuated with a yell. As he stopped the Guardians turned towards me and stared, North opened his mouth but I cut him off before he could speak, "I'll explain the Library later, right now I'll tell you what those are, dreams. Dreams turned into Nightmares" I took a breath "A very old, very nasty trick that hasn't been used since the Dark Ages"
"Ah, the Dark Ages," Pitch said, " The height of my power, everyone afraid, everyone believing in me, until The Man in the Moon sent Them, his four precious Guardians, who destroyed my power and drove me under the bed"
"Maybe that's where you belong!" Bunnymund said. Pitch ignored him and turned his attention to Jack "Oh, Jack Frost is it. Now what would you be doing here with these weirdoes? And whose side might you on?"
"Nothing" Jack said, "And we are not on anybody's side either"
"Oh, really?" We nodded, "Good two neutral parties. Well I'm going to ignore you both now, but then again, you both should be used to that" As Pitch strode away Bunnymund gave a signal. The guardians charged, trying to catch Pitch, but he was to fast and jumped over the edge of the palace with his Nightmare. The Guardians, Jack and I followed him down, Bunnymund throwing exploding eggs as we fell. Pitch dodged them all and slipped through the ground. We landed a second behind him but we were to late, Pitch had disappeared.
Tooth slumped and said, "Oh no, All the teeth are gone" That's when I noticed her beginning to lose color. That's one of the costs of being believed in, you grew more powerful as more people believed in you. On the other hand, if you lost believers your powers would slowly fade away, an accelerated process for Guardians apparently.
"What's so important about teeth?" Jack asked, puzzled.
"It's not the teeth" Tooth said, "It's the memories. We collect a child's happiest memories and store them for when they're needed. We even have yours and Conrí's"
"Wait what!" I said running up to her, "What do you mean you have our memories?"
"You mean we were somebody before, with a family, a home!" Jack said next to me.
"Yes, we were all someone before we were someone before we were chosen."
Jack and I stared at each other; as long as we had existed we had hoped for something like this. We turned toward Tooth and said in unison "Can you show us?"
"No Pitch took them all" Tooth replied sadly.
"Well then we'll just have to get them back!" I said, my hope running so high I was surprised Bunnymund didn't feel it.
"I'm not believed in so you might as well give up." Tooth replied, shaking her head.
"No" North said, "We never give up. Let me think" North paced for a few seconds then shouted "Oh idea, why don't we get the teeth?" Tooth shook her head in disbelief,
"No way, we're talking 7 continents, millions of houses, all in one night!"
"Please, do you know how many houses I deliver to?" North said smiling,
"And how many eggs I hide" Bunnymund said.
"We'll help to" Jack and I chorused
"Oh, thank you!" she said, hugging Jack. With that we all took North's sleigh around the world