A Light Within Darkness 11
Jack was overwhelmed. He didn't know where to begin or whether or not he should eat the eggs or simply gaze at them and admire their beauty. After all with the Easter Bunny defeated it was unlikely there would be many more Easters if any. He placed a bright pink and purple one on the blanket next to the two or three dozen he had already looked at and fished out another from a new basket. Pitch had really out done himself with all the eggs. There were probably enough eggs to do him a good 300 years if not more. He giggled and laid on the little space he had left on his large bed. This was so cool. In all his years living in the dark underground palace he had never had so much color around him. He loved it. Maybe when this was all over Pitch would allow him to paint his room. Maybe something bright and cheerful like the little eggs. After all with the Guardians defeated he wouldn't need to be training all the time and would finally have time for a little more fun. As much as he loved playing with the kids sometimes he really wanted to do something for himself.
There was a knock on his door before it creaked open. "Jack?" Pitch called as he stepped inside.
The youth rolled onto his belly, careful not to knock over any eggs. "Yeah?"
The shade looked about the room, his gold gaze moving across the room at the vast collection of eggs, none of which had been unwrapped or even a single piece of chocolate eaten. "Do you not like your gift?"
Jack grinned and toyed with one of the eggs. "I love them. I just don't know where to begin. There's so many and they're all so beautiful." He kicked his feet childish. "I'm thinking of freezing a few to keep forever."
The shade chuckled as he walked across the room and ruffled Jack's hair. "Well chocolate doesn't last long so that may be a good idea then you can eat only what you want without wasting any."
The boy beamed up at him before rolling onto his back to see the older man better as Pitch sat down. "As long as you don't mind me commandeering a pantry or two."
"Whatever you need, my boy." The shade cupped Jack's face and smiled fatherly down at him. "I'm very proud of you, Jack. I want you to know that. You've exceeded all my expectations." He pressed his lips to the boy's forehead. "You're made all my dreams come true, son."
Frost coated Jack's cheeks as he blushed. He rolled onto his side and ducked his head. "I only did as you asked," he said shyly which only made Pitch laugh.
"No, Jack, you did much more. The Guardians were never expecting you. They never expected that the child they abandoned to be their downfall." He squeezed Jack's shoulder. "Now I want you to relax and enjoy your evening while I deal the last blow to the Guardians. Will you be alright while I'm gone?"
Jack giggled. "Oh I don't know, I mean you are about to leave a teenager alone in your lair with enough chocolate to keep a few hundred kids very happy and on a massive sugar high for weeks on end and with no supervision whatsoever. Yep, I'll be fine." He gave his most innocent smile and batted his lashes.
"You are trouble, my boy," Pitch chuckled with a shake of his head as he got to his feet. "Don't eat too much chocolate or you'll have a belly ache. I'll be back in a few hours."
"Okay, have fun," Jack chirped.
"You too."
Jack's smile fell the moment Pitch closed his door. He really didn't like being alone, never did and even though he knew what Pitch had to do as important it didn't mean he had to like it. Sighing he looked at his pile of eggs. There really were more than he could ever hope to eat on his own and he didn't want to be alone. He absently wondered what time it was and decided it didn't matter. There were two kids he wanted to share his eggs with and he knew Pitch wouldn't object, not to these two, not his two strongest Believers. He gathered up two baskets full of eggs and made his way to the surface. This was going to be the best Easter ever!
. . .
North placed a cool cloth over Bunny's now tiny forehead. The diminutive Pooka had lost consciousness during the change and while North was unsure how such a change was possible he didn't dwell on it. Right now Bunny was overheating and that wasn't good regardless of his size. They had to break the fever or it could kill the small spirit.
Tooth was pacing about, murmuring to herself and nearly in tears each time a she lost a feather. She was molting at and incredible rate. She could no longer fly and her legs barely hold her up. For so many centuries she had relied on her wings that her legs had grown weak with time.
"Toothy, sit before you fall," North instructed as he laid Bunny down in the nest of blankets some of the elves had hurriedly made for the Pooka. He tucked the blanket around his friend and sat back in his armchair, feeling more exhausted than he could ever recall. Not even delivering presents all around the world tired him so much. He palmed his forehead, desperately wanting to sleep yet knowing he couldn't. There was still too much work to do, too many children that needed to find Belief again. Sadly, he no longer knew what to do.
"North…Nicholas, we'll find a way," Tooth whispered, climbing onto the arm of the chair. "If anyone can restore Bunny to his proper form it's you. You're the greatest wizard and swordsman in the world and if you can't find a way then we'll consult Ombric and Manny. Don't forget the other Guardians on the Moon. If Manny thought we couldn't handle it he would've sent Nightlight and Katherine by know."
He closed his eyes and held her hand. "What if Manny doesn't realize just how bad things are? Pitch's Nightmares have blocked him out many times now to the point not even the Moonbeams can penetrate. Bunny changed in the Warren early in the morning. We cannot even contact Manny until the moon rises once more." He shook his head before meeting her violet gaze. "We may not even survive that long."
She shook her head. "No, no, no, no, no. You mustn't think like that. You need to hold on to Hope. If you lose it…if we lose it then we lose Bunny. Please, please remember…we need your Wonder to keep us together. You mustn't forget." She cupped his face and gaze deep into his eyes, pleading for him to not lose faith. Out of all the Guardians North was the only one truly human and mortal even if his magic and MiM's kept him alive for centuries longer than any other human.
A smile lit his face and he cupped her hands. "Tooth, you didn't start collecting teeth in Russian until after I was a grown man. You cannot restore my childhood memories and most I wouldn't want you to, but I'm not going to forget or lose hope and I am certainly not giving up my center because of Pitch."
She smiled at him and brushed her lips against his. "You better not, mister. We're all counting on you."
He returned the kiss but in all honesty he couldn't help but fear that if something didn't change soon they were all lost, regardless of his center. Wonder could only go so far without Hope. Without Hope they were all doomed. His gaze shifted back to the sleeping Pooka and he silently prayed that his best friend, his brother, would wake up even if only for one last argument over which was more important Christmas or Easter. He would concede this time and swear an oath that Easter was more important. Sure if didn't have presents only silly eggs that never lasted but it did have Hope and right now that was much more important than Wonder.
A gasp tore from him as the door to his workshop banged open and Phil rushed in. The yeti didn't bother apologizing and quickly garbled that Pitch was in the Globe room. The two remaining Guardians didn't hurry out as the yeti expected, North was too tired and Tooth needed to lean against him because her legs refused to hold her weight. They didn't even travel all the way up to the top floor but rather stood at the balcony and listened as Pitch took a victory lap on top of the globe, snuffing out lights as he crowed in a sing-song voice that had both yetis and elves hiding in fear. North could only hold Tooth a little tighter against his side as one by one they went out.
. . .
Bunny's whiskers twitched and ears perked when he heard Pitch's voice and a deep frown creased his brows before his eyes slowly opened. He gave a start as he looked about. Everything seemed so large. He wiggled out of the blankets and sat on his hunches. His brows creased again. He was on North's desk and the floor seemed miles away. His stomach lurched. Okay, now that was weird. He looked about the desk, at the far too large sheets of paper and ice sculptures. Then he glanced at his paws and gave a tiny gasp. They weren't his, they were too small and fluffy and… He touched his face and ears and his eyes widened.
"Oh Gods," he breathed as realization it him. He had changed forms and not willingly, not by the use of his own magic. He had taken on the form of his namesake in order to somehow conserve energy but that would only happen if he lost all his Believers. Tears formed in his eyes. "No…no…" he keened softly as he pulled on his ears.
But as much as that knowledge hurt his anger at the taunting voice in the distance surged stronger and he leapt off the desk, ignoring his fear of heights to hunt down the being who was the cause of all his trouble…the being who had twisted a young frost spirit into attacking them. Pitch would pay for what he had done, not just to him and Sandy but also Jack and the other children. He was going to make Pitch pay even if it meant jumping on his face and scratching his demon eyes out.
He raced out of North's personal workshop and up the stairs, foregoing the elevator since he was no longer the right size to use it. When he made it to the Globe room he was winded and at a loss, unsure how to reach Pitch who was literally dancing on top of the Globe of Belief. It would have been a funny sight any other day if it weren't for the lights that Nightmare King was snuffing out with the toe of his shoe.
"Three…two…" Pitch sang, excitement written all over his face. Then suddenly it was replaced by confusion. "Two?" he asked himself, turning and kneeling before the two tiny lights so close together there was no doubt they we in the same two, perhaps even the same house. His forehead furrowed and eyes narrowed. "Two," he growled before vanishing into the shadows.
Bunny hopped to the control panel and pulled the level until the globe tilted enough for him to get a good look at the two lights. One was slightly different from the other, a pale blue compared to the bright white. The small rabbit's head tilted as he gazed at the two and he almost gave a laugh when he read the name of the town.
"North!" he called, peering down the long central opening to the floor North and Tooth stood. "Pack up some globes; we're going back to Burgess."