Chapter 4- Rising Action: The Tooth Palace
North didn't bother to wait even a minute before taking out his snow globe and transporting them all to the Tooth Palace. The Guardians and Pitch couldn't believe what they saw.
Ice, so much ice. Trails and paths of it tangled and braided in the air, making it hard for the large sleigh to move correctly, but it was perfect for a human of much smaller stature.
Frost, they all thought as they looked around in horror, Tooth especially.
It was extremely quiet, unlike before when there were the sound of thousands of chirps filling the air and hummingbird wings flitting around in the light wind. The surroundings were morbidly beautiful and Bunnymund caught himself just in time from commenting on the craftsmanship. North quickly lost control of the sleigh after accidently banging into one of the twisted paths of ice and a few of the guardians tumbled as the sleigh came to a stop on one of the large pieces of ice that served as the sleigh's landing post. Tooth immediately jumped out of the sleigh and took off through the maze of ice.
"Tooth!" Bunny yelled getting out of the sleigh, wincing slightly when the ice came in contact with his feet.
Sandy looked around, confused. He touched the ice and found it rigid to his touch. Jack Frost didn't have ice like this. Maybe it wasn't him? Sandy had seen Jack Frost. The boy had seemed… happy, content... not jealous or bitter.
"Ahhh!" They heard a shriek and looked to the source of the noise. It had sounded like Tooth!
They all made their way as quickly as they could through the interweave jungle of ice. At one point they came to a point where it was completely clear of ice. One problem. It was like a cliff turning into a slide and leading to the beginning of the buildings in the Tooth palace. Basically, it could mean injury if they weren't careful. Bunny came across it first, the most lithe and flexible of the guardians besides Tooth.
"Mates, don't come any closer. We've hit a dead end." He said backing up slightly.
"What? Come closer?" Bunny's eyes widened when he heard North say that.
"No!" He yelled as they came out of the forest of ice and tumbled down the ice cliff. They all screamed as they tumbled down the ice slide.
While the Guardians (beside Sandy) were screaming, Pitch was fighting off a smile. Why did he find this fun? Man in Moon must have been messing with his head.
They were all tangled and disoriented when they hit the end of the slide that had apparently had a few loop de loops (Why did he bother to make something so similar to a children's water park slide in the first place?). Pitch held back a laugh as he stood up shaking himself off. What was wrong with him? He was the Nightmare King! A Man who fed off of fear yet here he was trying to hold back the feeling of joy. He shook his head, disgusted with himself.
That was when he saw.
The Tooth palace was covered in thick frost, making the original color hard to see and the air was frigid. The guardians shivered, even North with his large coat. They saw Tooth on the ground holding something in her hands as she sobbed. The guardians rushed to her, asking what had happened while Pitch lagged behind taking in the sights. He was honestly impressed. The Frost sprite was powerful, he would give him that, but where were the mini teeth that he had heard so much about and had the utmost pleasure of meeting a few centuries back. He merged with the shadows and emerged at another part of the palace. The atmosphere… reeked of loneliness and abandonment. It wasn't something that Pitch was unfamiliar with; after all, he did live with it almost every day of his damned existence. The normally bright skies of the fortress were covered with heavy gray snow clouds.
He attempted to take a step forward and he heard a small squeal as he almost stepped on something. He looked down to see what looked like a little hummingbird, a heavily frostbitten hummingbird. He kneeled down and cupped the little thing in his hands. It was not shivering and lay as still as death. The only thing that showed that it was alive was the rising and falling of its chest and it's rapidly beating heart, trying to keep it alive. Pitch was slightly horrified as to what had become of this creature. It's usually rosy skin were as pale as the Yuki-onna of Japan (Snow women) with a deep blue that tinted their face. The small thing felt solid with the frost covering her body and small icicles clung to her feathers and her eyes, making it impossible for her to open them. Pitch looked around and realized that there were thousands of others in the same condition, including the one that the past Warrior queen held in her hand.
Pitch didn't know what to say or what to do. He was at a complete loss. Hadn't this been what he had wanted. He had been going to trap these little… creatures (he couldn't say pests when he looked at these beings…) in cages but he wouldn't have killed them.
But they weren't dead, they were asleep and they couldn't dream. For all he knew, they could sleep for a thousand years and never realize that any time had passed.
"I see that you've found the present that I left for you. Do you like it?" They all heard and all their heads rose in surprise, and then fury.
"How dare you…. how dare you hurt my fairies like this! Show yourself you coward!" She screamed in fury and despair as she stood up, still clenching the small mini tooth in her hand as her wings moved rapidly.
He stepped out from behind one of the statues and Pitch was surprised to see the change.
He wore what looked like a long sleeved black shirt that was cut open at his neck and part of his small shoulders that had seemed so broad with his frost covered hoodie, exposing the bones and showing how skinny he was. Unlike his hoodie, only his sleeves were covered with frost. He had apparently ditched the three hundred year old pants and gone for more modern black skinny jeans with many rips on them and stopped ,like his old pants, high above his ankle. Surprisingly, he was wearing a red/black cross rosary around his neck that hung just under his collar bone. His face seemed much… darker, yet pale at the same time and Pitch swore that the skin around his eyes looked darker and his cheek bones more sharp and pronounced (one could say they looked slightly sunken: his cheeks)
Small side story (I don't know if this was a good idea or not.):
"No Seraphina! I'm drawing the line at this!"
"Do you WANT to look like the bad guy or not?!"
"Yes but I don't want to wear MAKE-UP! KEEP THAT BLACK STUFF AWAY FROM ME!" Jack yelled as he ran away from the crazy woman in the green dress and flowing black hair as she chased him around holding dark skin foundation and black eye shadow.
"GET OVER HERE AND TAKE IT LIKE A MAN!"
"NO! I'M ALREADY WEARING THESE CLOTHES YOU GOT ME! ISN'T THAT ENOUGH?" He yelled as he tripped over the half on pants that he had been putting on when she had ambushed him with the make-up.
"NO! YOU'RE WEARING THE MAKE-UP WETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! AND PUT ON YOUR PANTS!"
"LEAVE ME ALONNNNNEEEE!"
(End of side story. Don't think that Jack looks how he does and is happy about it.)
"How nice to see you all like this." Jack said with a blank face, completely cold and unfeeling though on the inside he was hitting himself upside the head thinking over and over again that he was a complete and total moron.
Pitch tried to see past Jack's outer layer but there were mental barriers that prevented him from doing so. It was truly strange and he could tell that the magical signature of the person who created the barrier was familiar but he couldn't place his finger on it.
"How dare you Frost! We've done nothing to ya!" Bunny yelled taking out his Boomerang and pointing it at the Winter Spirit.
He scoffed as he dropped off the high structure he had appeared on and landed on another one that was a few levels higher than the guardians.
"Done nothing? I beg to differ. If you call completely ignoring me doing nothing than we might have a qualm with that." He said, not looking at the guardians and walking with conviction as he disappeared behind another structure.
They were surprised to hear his voice coming from behind them, inside one of the domes.
"And who is this? You have got to be kidding me. Pitch Black? The Boogieman?" Jack cackled.
The Nightmare king glared as Jack smirked slightly before his face went back to impassive stone.
"Not that he'd be any help. If I recall, I took out your entire army." Pitch growled.
"I do not need Nightmares to defeat someone like you."
Jack raised a delicate, black eyebrow at that. He turned away, disappearing in a flurry. That was how he was traveling, by turning his body into snow and teleporting? He landed on a railing bar with his knee tucked into his chest, the other hanging and his staff held over his shoulders by both arms.
"Oh really? I didn't think you had any other power besides that, after all, you have no belief to back up your power." He smirked.
"Why you- come here you up sprite!" He said bounding up the buildings to get closer to the Frost child.
The boy merely laughed and dematerialized as Bunny reached out to grab him by his neck. The winter prince appeared behind him smirking and pushed the pooka off of the railing he had landed on. The Pooka screamed as he fell with a loud clatter onto one of the lower dome's side supports.
Jack landed onto a nearby structure that was much higher than where the Guardians stood, laughing almost merrily, as they regrouped. Was this a joke to him?! They thought, slightly irritated. Tooth grabbed one of North's swords and flew forward screaming.
That was when Jack played his trump card.
Tooth gasped as one of the stolen Nightmares, now Frostmare, came forward snarling and bucking. Tooth fell back in fear as they all looked at the demon horse in surprise. Pitch who was far behind all of them snarled at seeing his twisted creation.
"Familiar Sandman?" Jack asked, sampling some of the sand that remained unfrozen on the horse.
Sandman looked at his own sand in his hand and looked up at Jack with confused, but not angry eyes as he tried to find out what was going on. He didn't believe that Jack would do this. He had seen the boy. He was just a child! A child with the heart of gold and would do things that others would refuse to… Sandman's eyes widened in realization. Jack wasn't doing this of his freewill. He looked at the other Guardians whose hateful eyes remained on Jack. He decided that he would play along until he found out the whole story. He didn't know what would happen if Jack's plan didn't go out as followed. And no one would listen to him anyway…
"Originally it was all Nightmare sand which I have to say thank you to Pitch Black for. I wonder how long it took you to perfect this trick… turning dreams into nightmares…" He said petting the horse's muzzle, calming it down slightly.
Pitch glared. "You had no right."
"And neither did you! I'm tired of being walked through! Tired of being ignored! Why should some self centered spirits have something that I haven't had the pleasure of having once!
I tried to be good. I tried to bring joy to kids, hoping that one day I would be seen. But after three hundred long years I finally realized that it would never happen. I don't care how I am believed in. I don't care! As long as someone can see me, look at me, and not ignore me, I don't care." He said, glaring at the guardians with extreme emotions in his eyes. They almost felt sorry for him, almost.
"Maybe you don't deserve to be seen." Bunny growled glaring with a betrayed look in his eyes.
"Oh suck an egg rabbit." Jack rolled his eyes disappearing behind the pillar, the Frostmare following behind.
North took back his sword from Tooth. "What have you done to the little tooths?"
"I didn't kill them if that's what you mean. They are just sleeping… for the moment. Just be happy I didn't destroy your precious teeth containers." I have nowhere to keep them anyway Jack thought miserably.
Tooth gasped in horror, putting her hand over her mouth.
"You are horrid boy Jack Frost, this is why you are on Naughty List!" North exclaimed pointing his sword at where Jack stood, leaning against the golden structure.
"Ha! Does it look like I care? But freezing the fairies have done their purpose. Look around you." And sure enough the palace was starting to disintegrate.
"Children are waking up and finding out, that the Tooth fairy never came. Such a small thing… but to a child."
A little girl sat on her bed looking at the tooth in her hand with confusion and sadness as her light went out.
A boy removed his pillow with an excited grin only to find that the tooth had never been taken.
Tooth's eyes were wide when she realized,
"They—They don't believe in me anymore." She said looking down to her hands, to the frozen baby tooth, and fell to her knees.
"It must be great to be a guardian. Fading as soon as a fickle child's beliefs fade. Soon there won't be anything. No toys on Christmas, no eggs on Easter, and no little fairies collecting teeth at night. There will only ever be the cold, and me.
It's your turn not to be believed in, to be ignored and feel despair." Jack said with a cold face as he turned away from them, climbed onto his Frostmare and taking off.
The others tried to catch him, they really did…. but they couldn't.
-x-
Jack groaned as he climbed off of the horse and landed in front of the sealed door of Seraphina's 'burrow' or Sanctuary like she called it. The door swung open as he proceeded to try and get the horrid make-up off of his face.
"I SWEAR BY THIS SERA! YOU OWE ME BIG TIME!" He yelled and looked at his hands finding no blacks from the make-up fading.
"Does this come off?" He whimpered.
"Oh stop being such a baby. I made it so that it would only come off with a special substance." Mother Nature said appearing behind him as he was about to start crying from frustration.
"Can I please take this off?" He pleaded with her.
"Is my father back yet?" Jack remained quiet.
"Then no." She said and walked off.
Jack groaned. What had he gotten himself into? He looked into his hood to see the mini tooth pop out of his hood and look at him with scolding eyes.
"What?" He sighs and runs his hands through his silver hair.
"Look, I'm sorry for doing that to your sisters, they'll survive! Oww! Do you want to join them?!" He exclaimed when she stabbed his hand.
She continued to glare as he glared at the little fairy one his shoulder. She squeaked something out.
Someones going to get really hurt in the end. You can always stop
The Frost boy sighed. First his conscience, now a tooth fairy with a sharp beak.
"No one's going to get hurt. Belief can always be recovered. You'll see! Everything will be fine."
Even he could hear the doubt in his own voice.
Ya... the story is probably going to be in Rising Action for a while...
I hope the OP liked this :)
And I'm not sure if I should have added the dramatic irony in there or not though...
Jack: I'm scared now... and wait, what happened to the sentinels that were sent to find out what happened to Sera!
Anna: You'll find out later now hush!
Seraphina: Thank you for reading and please review!
