Hey guys. Sorry about the long wait. I'm going to have to cut this arc a little shorter than planned, but it should still be good. This one is slightly boring, but it certainly shows just how much a little magic can effect anyone. Enjoy, if you dare.
Misty shot over the twilight sky of Halloween Town, Jack right on her heels. Whooping with laughter, the twins sped across town, weaving in and out of flying broomsticks, ghosts, and all sorts of flying ghouls. Misty wasn't a hundred percent sure what was being shouted as she and Jack whizzed by, but it certainly couldn't be friendly.
"Either I'm loosing my mind, or that witch back there just cursed me in Latin," Jack shouted, frowning in confusion. "I think she said something including mud, anchovies, and sassafras."
"Well, I think that sassafras is for creating horrible rashes, but I'll go with loosing your mind," Misty replied.
"You sure? My back is starting to itch," Jack said. Coming to the edge of town, the two dived down, landing in front of a what could be a normal looking house, if it wasn't for the iron-wrought gate that was shaped into a black-widow spider. The gate swung open by itself and they walked through. Misty banged the pewter knocker three times.
"Hello?" Zany asked, opening the door.
"Hey Zany. Just coming to pick up the tokens," Misty said, greeting the summer spirit. Zany was the literal personification of the sun, with a very sunny personality to match. She had the same yellow hair and eyes she always did, and besides the fact that she was wearing a sleeveless orange dress and high heels, Zany looked like she did all the time.
"Hey Misty. Hey Jack. You guys certainly look the part of the trickster twins. Here are the tokens," she said, handing the twins two black pouches. Misty shook out a small wooden token, Halloween Town's currency, onto her palm, running her fingers over the pumpkin carving.
"Thanks Zany," Jack said, scratching his wrist, which was quickly developing a bright red rash. "Do you by chance have some cursed rash cream on hand?" Zany giggled and grabbed a potion bottle off the shelf. Dropping a small amount on Jack's hand, the raw skin instantly cleared up. Jack sighed with relief.
"Annika has been driving everyone crazy lately with her signature curse. You're not the first one to ask for a little relief," Zany said. "Well, if that's all, I need to go back to planning the New Orleans party. The Ghosty Three are going to be playing some spooktackular jazz come Halloween."
"We'll be sure to drop by Zany. See you later," Misty said. Taking off, she and Jack did a little acrobatics show before landing on the cobblestone streets. Misty always felt like a stereotypical teenager whenever she and Jack wandered around Halloween Town, occasionally browsing the store windows filled with candy, costumes, and cauldrons. She occasionally chatted with friends, getting the latest news, while Jack conversed with a few of his winter colleagues. In short, Misty was content.
"There you are! I've been looking all over for you," Misty heard a familiar voice shout. In bemusement, Misty watched as Casey, one of Jack's greatest rivals, ran up to Jack and pulled him a hug. For the last fifty years, a continuous debate raged on whether Lily's Doppelgänger form or Casey's Doppelgänger form was freakier. Lily became a sassy, bad tempered, and hot-headed witch during Halloween, and Casey turned into a sweet girl who Jack got along with creepily well. Basically, Lily and Casey swapped personalities.
Currently, Misty was on the side of Casey's transformation.
"Where have you guys been? It's already noon of the twenty-seventh," Casey chatted as they continued to walk down the street. Casey's physical appearance hadn't changed too much. Her hair was shorter and much darker, her belt was black, and skull charms could be found hanging from her articles of clothing. As always, the magic never effected eye color, so Casey's eyes were still silver.
"Halloween committee duties," Jack replied. Casey grimaced.
"They don't call it the ultimate bureaucracy for nothing. I guess with you guys being the Stage Setters, you had to go, huh? Still, I've always wanted to see what Halloween Control Central looks like."
"Picture a council of war. Now picture a council of war on a massive sugar high, chugging quintuple expressos," Misty explained. "That will amount to about a forth of the chaos."
"Is that on a bad day?" Casey asked. Jack and Misty glanced at each other and burst out laughing.
"The only time Halloween Control Central has a bad day is October thirtieth, and you really don't want be within a hundred feet of the clock tower when that happens," Jack said, clutching his stomach in laughter. Misty wiped a few tears out of her eyes, using her staff to support herself.
"Hey, it's the Banshee Cafe," Jack commented as they passed in front of a small building. "Let's go in. I'm starving." Jack grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. The smell of freshly baked bread filled the air, making Misty realize just how hungry she was. A stand up chalkboard spelled out the specials, most of them consisting of at least one pumpkin element, and the rest including eyeballs or entrails. The cafe was fairly busy, but not so much that finding a seat was impossible.
"Well, if it isn't the Trickster Twins and Miss Casey Ember," a large man said. He was rounder and taller than most of the town's citizens, on account of being either part troll or part giant. A messy black mop of hair covered his head, a stark contrast to the spotless white apron covering his body.
"Hey Bruce. Just stopping in for lunch," Jack said, tossing him six tokens. A slight wind gust carried the tokens, dropping them into a pumpkin shaped jar. After taking a quick glance at the menu, Jack finally said, "Three daily specials please."
"Coming right up," Bruce said. The man snapped his fingers and a banshee drifted out, carrying a tray piled with steaming delights. Settling down into one of the round tables that were scattered around the room, the banshee waitress set down piping hot bowls of soup, a basket of golden brown bread, and three glasses of an undefinable cider. Misty breathed in the delicious smell.
"Have a good meal," the waitress said. They dived into their meal, slurping the soup and breaking off chunks of bread. The soup turned out to be the Banshee Cafe's specialty, spiced pumpkin, and it was better than ever. Misty sipped the cider, raising her eyebrows in surprise. She was expecting apple cider from the most famous cafe in town, not pear and cherry.
"Trying something different?" she asked Bruce. The man chuckled, kneading the dough for some sort of pastry, his huge arms turning the floury glob into something that could be used for baking, most likely a fruit pie. He plopped the dough down, wiping his hands on a towel.
"Thought I'd save the good stuff for the big night. Besides, the blend is a test run from a friend of mine. He's got about fifty different fruit ciders that need testing. How is it?"
"It needs a little something extra," she replied. "Maybe a little grape." Turning back to her meal, she moped up the rest of the soup with a chunk of bread, listening while Jack and Casey talked about Halloween plans.
"I'm thinking about going to Paris this year," Casey said, absentmindedly turning her spoon around. "I've heard the haunting is really good there."
"Trust me, if it's good haunting you want, skip Paris and head to the smaller outlying villages. There's a greater chance that people will interact with you in the smaller towns," Jack said. "We learned that pretty fast."
"Another really good option is Ireland," Misty commented. "Even though people always report seeing strange things in Ireland, this time of year is even better. The best parties are in Ireland too."
"Look at us," Casey joked. "Three teenagers in a cafe talking about Halloween parties. We almost sound human."
"Almost. Key word Casey," Jack teased. "Next thing you know, we'll be constantly checking our nonexistent cell phones, drinking frappe chinos, and complaining about high school." Everyone in earshot roared with laughter.
"Around this time of year, who knows? The barrier between life and death is weakened, allowing the spirits of the past to walk among mortals," a nearby ghost started reciting. "What was once impossible is now common. People change is ways that cannot be foreseen. The gates rise once the sun sets and then..."
"We rule the night!" the cafe patrons cheered, raising their glasses high in toast. Misty gulped her cider down, finishing off one of the best meals she had had in a while. With a nod to Jack and Casey, they left the cafe, stepping out into the ever crisp twilight of Halloween Town.
"Well, I have get going," Casey said. "I'm still have to do a few things before Halloween. Plus, I'm taking part in the fire show at the Flaming Theater, and they'll send harpies if I'm not there soon. See you guys later!"
"See you later Casey!" Jack said. Looking around, he looked at Misty and grinned.
"Let's go for a walk. Our sightseeing tour was interrupted after all," he said, motioning down the street. Misty grinned and they started walking down the street again. Coming to the edge of town, they started wandering around the forest, watching the leaves swirl in the wind. Jack started whistling a little tune and Misty chimed in, letting the sound carry through the trees. Everything was peaceful.
So this is what happens when the Trickster Twins go to Halloween Town. Misty nearly jumped out of her skin, whirling around to face someone she wished wasn't there. Sandy, looking completely normal, was standing behind them. What shocked her even more is that Sandy didn't look angry. He almost seemed glad to see them.
"Sandy!" Jack exclaimed. "What are you doing here! If anyone sees you-"
Relax. I am one of the oldest spirits on the planet. Halloween has been a yearly tradition for me too. I come here to see some old friends. No one here is going to cry out 'Guardian!' anymore than if they saw you walking down the street, Sandy said, floating closer to them.
"But you're a Guardian," Misty sputtered. "Every year-"
You both are Guardians, and you are here. North, Bunny, and Tooth have never grasped the idea that Pitch has not brainwashed the entire spirit population on Halloween. I don't help with the hunt. I prefer to stay on my island and throw a Halloween party.
"You're joking," Jack said, his mouth gaping. Sandy rolled his eyes.
I am not joking. Working a little magic around my island keeps the rest of the Guardians, and MiM, from spying on the festivities. The Guardians just think that the citizens of Halloween Town have spun a spell that traps me on my island every Halloween.
"Doppelgänger magic must be stronger than I thought if it can affect the master of dreams," Misty muttered. Sandy silently laughed.
You would be surprised. Now, I think a little someone has missed you, Sandy said. Moving out of the way, Little Sand fluttered out and flew over to Misty. Whatever was keeping Sandy looking like he usually did also applied to Little Sand. She still had the same blue and white dress and golden hair.
She wanted to see both of you, and Halloween Town. I'll be going now. Don't want to raise too much of a fuss after all. With that, Sandy floated off, leaving Misty and Jack more confused than they thought possible. Little Sand flew up to Misty's shoulder and settled down. Misty had forgotten what the little fairy had felt like on her shoulder.
"You're not spying on us, are you?" Jack asked. Little Sand shook her head.
"You guys are my friends. Friends don't spy on each other," Little Sand said, using her voice for the first time in a while. Jack then grinned and pointed back to town.
"Then let's go see the fire show. Casey is probably a little steamed at us for not coming to her first showing."
The next chapter will be shorter than usual. I can tell you that right off the bat. Have fun reviewing (I have fifty hungry harpies waiting if you don't. You have been warned...)