I wonder what Bunnymund and Flora are doing today? Well, I know that Flora still has her Mother Nature duties, so she's probably going to be in a field somewhere. Field, field, field… that reminds me about that family who lives in the country side in Germany I wonder how those kids are doing I think one of them lost a tooth yesterday I should probably get Baby Tooth on that she's been doing really good with all the new responsibilities she's going to be a good assistant one day I can tell you that oh wait, what was I thinking about oh yeah Bunnymund and Flora well I think they like each other as more than friends but that could lead to some complications seeing as they're both Guardians and also not to mention immortal so if something goes wrong then they'd have to deal with it for the rest of their lives which is unfortunately FOREVER and I—

"How do you think Flora is doing, Tooth?" North's gruff voice interrupted Tooth's nonstop mental chatter. She glanced up from what she was doing, which was drawing out new dresses for Flora. She had a pattern for a deep green ball gown that she knew Flora would never wear and an ice blue tunic that was much like her current dark green dress. She planned on hand-sewing ice-like gems on the hem and neckline. She wanted to make a pretty red shirt covered in real flowers next for the forest fairy.

"What?" Measurements and mannequins danced around in her head as well as the usual flurry of teeth and tooth-collecting thoughts. Tape measures clouded her vision. She looked up and saw the Russian man standing by the window. His giant outline filled nearly the whole window, except for a slim spot next to him. She knew that was where he wanted her to stand.

"Flora, Tooth," North chuckled. He ruffled the feathers on the top of her head and she swatted his hand away. "How do you think she is doing? Do you think she will make good Guardian?"

Tooth smoothed back her feathers and abandoned her sewing table to join North. They looked out at the winter landscape, both caught up in their own thoughts. It was quiet for a few moments before Tooth spoke.

"I think she'll do great. She's an excellent addition to the team. She and the other Guardians work well together, especially her and Bunnymund." Tooth looked up at North, an almost impossible feat seeing as he's so much taller than her. She wanted to gauge his reaction about the obvious affection the two Guardians had towards each other. "What do you think, North?" She added gently. She touched his arm softly. He jumped at the feel of her slender hand upon his. He blushed lightly, his rosy cheeks becoming (if it were even plausible) even rosier.

"Me? What does North think?" He paused and listened as a crash above their heads shook the ceiling. He sighed before he answered, "I believe she will be splendid. A good addition." He smiled down at Tooth and suddenly rubbed his stomach with wide eyes. "I can feel it. In my belly."

Tooth giggled at him and wrapped her arm in the crook of his elbow. He chuckled back, a little surprise from the show of affection, before another crash and a strangled shout made him sigh. He gently removed Tooth's arm from his. "I should go. I put Jack in charge of helping Yeti's with presents. That was not a good idea by the sound of the crashes." As if on cue, another crash shook the ceiling, followed by yelling Yetis and a loud laugh. Tooth nodded her understanding and went back to her table to draw up some more designs for Flora. Since she technically couldn't wear clothes herself, due to her body being covered in brightly colored feathers, Tooth took the liberty of designing Flora's wardrobe. It was fun to see someone finally be able to wear the clothes she designed.

"Good luck out there," Tooth said as yet another crash sounded. Both Guardians winced. North paused at the door as he passed by her. He seemed to contemplate something for a few seconds before he went back and gave a small kiss on her the cheek. He started to whistle as he walked jauntily out of the room. He looked back as Tooth reached up to touch where her cheek burned and slyly looked at the door and rolled her eyes with a grin. North laughed, winked, and closed the door with a soft turn of the handle. Tooth's lilac eyes shone with excitement as she hummed softly and listened to the muted shouting above her as she started to sketch out that red shirt. Frenzied thoughts started up again, though now they were slightly calmer. Her hand kept creeping up to her cheek. She couldn't stop smiling.


"Oi, shelia, 'ow much farther? My bloody legs feel like death," Bunnymund shouted at the figure that flew above him. He bounded after her in a forest that was impossibly thick. Flora was apparently leading him somewhere but she refused to divulge any information. She glanced back at him and giggled, but continued to fly above him without an answer. The air felt free beneath her wings, like pure heaven. She shifted her weight and flew up into the sky, above the tree line. The trees below her began to slowly thin out. Good. She was where she needed to be, which was in an empty field in the countryside of Germany. She landed softly in the grass.

"Flora, 'ow many times do I have to ask yeh were we're goin'?" Bunnymund panted as he stumbled into the field. Jeez, that fairy could take a lot out of him. He looked up to see Flora standing a few feet away from him. She stood with her head cocked to one side, a small smile played on her lips.

"Well, Bunny? Are you gonna shulmp over and complain or are you gonna sit back and enjoy the breeze?" Flora grinned cheerfully and jumped into the air. She sped around the field with sunshine dust spreading out behind her like a thick blanket. She flew back to Bunnymund and flapped her wings together. "Are you ready for the show?" She asked playfully. She closed her palm and opened it. Inside her hand was an aster flower. She tucked it into his belt and winked before she flew about twenty feet in the air. Bunnymund heard the area that surrounded them go silent. It unnerved him to not hear the sounds of nature around him.

Flora closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She raised her arms to the sky and sang a high, pure note that penetrated the earth below them. Bunnymund felt a rumble beneath his feet and clutched an oak located on the tree line of the forest behind them in fear. Flora sang the note again, louder this time, and threw sunshine dust in the air. A strong wind appeared out of nowhere and with the help of her steady hands, she guided the wind all around the field. She laughed gaily and plopped down onto the field, which steadily grew different seedlings. She poked her bare toe at one spot on the ground and a small patch of wild strawberries grew. She danced around sprouts and touched the earth with a finger. A spot of purple phloxes popped out of the ground. Flora looked up to see trees growing and waved her fingers in the air before she turned around. Purple wisteria laced itself through the tree branches.

Flora took a running start and propelled herself through the trees. Her hair flew out behind her as she weaved herself through the newly grown forest. Sunlight filtered though the branches and gave the bottom layer of the forest a magical sort of aura. It literally sparkled with joy and sunshine and peace. Wildflowers grew at the bases of the tree trunks, and the wisteria casted a slight purple shadow on the forest floor.

Flora flew back to where Bunnymund was. He looked surprised at the sudden growth of flora all around him. She grinned and turned to face the newly grown forest. She jumped into the air once more and spun around with her arms out. The forest seemed to have one last burst of energy and stood still.

For a minute Bunnymund could swear he heard the forest breathe and sigh as one. He heard birds trill and squeal as they flocked to their new home. He looked around in wonder at the work of art that was in front of him.

It was beautiful. The empty field that had been there before had disappeared and in its place was a majestic forest. Flora landed gracefully on the soft grass. Bunnymund's attention was diverted to the fairy as she walked towards him. The usual wildflowers poked up out of the earth as her feet touched the ground.

"So what do you think, Bunny?" Flora jumped into the air and spun around playfully. She hovered in midair as she waited for his opinion. Bunnymund took his time to find his answer. She obviously wanted him to say it was the most beautiful place on Earth, but he didn't want to seem so… eager. He threw his shoulders back and said gruffly, "It's alright."

Her face fell. She lowered herself to the ground and rubbed her arm awkwardly. She was silent for a moment before she suddenly looked up at him with an impish smile and snapped her fingers. All at once, hundreds of cherry blossoms that grew on a nearby tree turned into pink butterflies and flew off through the trees. She snapped her fingers once more and the pink flowers grew once more on the tree as if nothing happened. She smirked at his facial expression and hopped into the air.

"Come on, Bunny! We've got a lot to do today and not a lot of time. Let's go." She twirled around and flew through the trees. Bunnymund grunted and followed her out of the forest. He got the feeling that the trees were alive and breathing as he bounded after Flora. They were near the edge of the newly-grown forest when a rumbling was heard in the distance. Sleigh bells jingled, their sound echoing from across the valley. Flora stumbled to a stop in midair and Bunnymund almost ran into her dangling feet. He reached up and pulled her to the ground as North's red sleigh came into view.

Huge, powerful reindeer pulled the majestic vessel through the late afternoon sky. The pair on the ground could see the hulking body of North in the driver's seat with Tooth and Sandy clutching each other for dear life in the back. The sleigh veered to a clearing in the middle of the forest. Flora and Bunnymund ran towards it as the vehicle landed awkwardly. North had a wild look in his eyes as he stumbled out of the sleigh. The rabbit felt as though there was something odd about the leader of the Guardians, but he couldn't place his finger on it.

"Flora," he gasped. He held onto the side of sleigh. "Your room… the flowers… they're—they're—"

Flora made a noise of distress when she realized what he meant. "No! This can't be. They can't be—no, I have to see this myself." She turned to Bunnymund. "Can you make that tunnel appear? I need to see what happened. There may be some way I can revive the flowers. You can go to the Warren and finish some more eggs and then meet me later at the castle."

He frowned. "Flora, yeh can't go by yerself. I'll go and you go back to the Warren. I'll come get yeh if it's safe."

Flora stomped her foot. "Um, excuse me, but I can take care of myself. I'm going to Santa's Workshop—how much safer is that?" her eyes flashed. "I've taken care of myself for the past three hundred years, I think I can look after myself for a few hours and not get killed."

Bunnymund crossed his arms. "Flora, I'm tellin' yeh it's not safe. Remember what happened last night?" He was obviously referring to the attack from Pitch. Flora was grateful that he didn't mention it in front of North.

"Bunny, I'll be fine." Her face relaxed. "You worry too much. I'll see you later, alright?" She clenched her palm and offered him the purple aster. It had become her way of trying to tell him something in between the lines, be it I'm sorry or I like you. "I'll send you a flower when I get there."

Bunnymund nodded his understanding and stepped back to create the tunnel for her. She dove into it, but came back a second later. She kissed him on the cheek before she fluttered into the earth. Bunnymund, speechless from the second kiss he received from her, remembered her promise. I'll send you a flower.

Last night, after Bunnymund had caught up to her, they had created a system to use if she were ever in trouble. The attack from Pitch was much too close for Bunnymund, so he had insisted that they create a way to communicate with if they were ever apart and she needed him. Flora adamantly denied the need for such a system, claiming that (again) she could take care of herself.

"Flora, you were almost kidnapped by Pitch for the umpteenth time in three days," Bunnymund had said with a stern glare. She then snapped something horrendously ugly and rude back to him. Bunnymund retorted with a simple plead that caught the fairy off guard. Flora reluctantly agreed to think of a code or language they could speak in. They spent several minutes in silence before Flora had thought of something.

"What about the language of flowers?" Flora suggested. She was met with a raised eyebrow. "Not many people study such an ancient language, so it is nearly forgotten. Plus, I could send a flower to you easily. I could just snap my fingers and then poof! There's your message."

After a few seconds of reflection, Bunnymund agreed to the ludicrous idea. It seemed simple enough. After all, flowers seemed like the most inconspicuous way to communicate with. The enemy wouldn't understand the messages, which is exactly what they wanted.

"Hellbore, or a Christmas rose, is a way to say 'relive my anxiety', so I could send that if I'm in trouble." She snapped her fingers and a white blossom grew speedily out of the ground. Bunnymund nodded. "Monkshood is the symbol of danger. That way you'd know if I were in danger and you needed to be careful." A flower that looked a lot like lavender popped up. "It's extremely dangerous, seeing as it's venomous. Be careful when you're around it. Hmm," she screwed up her face in thought. "Traveler's joy means safety; I'll send that if I'm safe." She sprinkled a pinch of sunshine dust over the ground next to the other flowers. A white flower that looked eerily spider-like appeared. Flora looked at Bunnymund. "I think that covers everything. We've got danger, safety, help…"

Bunnymund snapped out of his flashback and face North. He realized that the older man had not moved since he last spoke; he was frozen in time, almost. A smear of black sand was on his red coat. Tooth and Sandy were equally as still. What was going on here?

A deep chuckle made Bunnymund draw his boomerangs. His ears twitched as he tried to listen to his surroundings. "Oi, who's there?"

The wind blew a harsh gust of air across the forest. Bunnymund watched as his friends withered away to black sand right in front of his eyes. What the bloody hell…? There was nothing left but a few piles of the very substance that Bunnymund hated the most.

Nightmare sand.

This meant that the Nightmare King was at fault here. That bloody bastard had to be around somewhere. The sand gathered together and rose into the air in one collective ball. It swarmed Bunnymund and created a cage around him. He tried to fight his way out of his captivity, but it was like tried to scratch away at a concrete jail cell.

Bunnymund shouted in rage as he tried to escape. If this was happening here, then what was happening at the castle? What was happening with Flora? He cursed loudly and tapped his foot on the bottom of the cage. Nothing happened. He thought of Flora and cursed again. Could he even trust that she was alive?

Pitch wanted to use her as a weapon, so of course she would still be alive… until he decided to dispose of her.

Bunnymund rattled the bars of his cage. "Oi, you don't wanna mess with a rabbit, mate!" He yelled in case Pitch could hear him. "You'll neva' win!"

Nothing answered him. His heart fell when he realized Pitch was at the castle.

In a way he already had won.

Bunnymund sank onto the floor of the cage. He noticed a Christmas rose pop out of the ground. He felt something within him break when he watched as two other Christmas roses grew. Suddenly there were dozens of the white rose-like flowers surrounding him in his enchanted cage. Monkshood sprouted just as quickly; it nearly covered the entire forest floor. A cypress flower and a marigold bloom grew intertwined with each other: despair.

Fear tugged on his heart.

Help… I need your help… I'm in danger and you need to be careful… Help me… danger, danger, danger… help

Bunnymund wept bitterly. He couldn't help his flower. She was in danger, and he was stuck in a bloody cage.

He couldn't help her.


Flora raced through the underground tunnel. If the plants in her room at the castle were in danger, then who knows how many other plants were in trouble? Flora gave a burst of speed. She flew as fast as she could to try and beat the clock. If she got there in time then she might have a chance to revive a few of them. It was only a matter of time.

Flora saw an opening at the end of the tunnel and she quickly exited the labyrinth. The setting sun that shined through the window temporarily blinded her. As she waited for her eyes to adjust, she breathed in the scent of the air. Everything smelled normal; alive and healthy, even. What was going on?

The door shut behind her with a snap. Flora whirled around in surprise to see nothing there. What? She shook off the feeling of uneasiness and turned back around. It was just the wind, she told herself. This castle can get drafty sometimes. Maybe she should send a call for help just to be safe. Flora bent over and examined a bed of clovers under the window. She decided that she was just jumpy from Bunnymund acting as though she was going to be attacked at any moment.

She straightened up. She heard something… a whisper of a dark laugh. A faint scream. She looked behind her and saw nothing. Flora laughed out loud. Now she was as paranoid as Bunnymund. But there was a nagging sense of uneasiness that made her feel as though she was not alone. She peered over her shoulder. Did that shadow just move? Was that a sparkle of black sand? She sighed. The sooner this was over, the better. She wanted nothing more than to return to her garden.

But what about Bunnymund? A little voice whispered in her head. You like him, don't you- more than you let on.

Oh, hush, she said mentally in reply. Flora felt a blush creep up her neck. It was a good thing she was alone, otherwise she would have been teased and mortified beyond relief. Speaking of teasing, she wondered where the other Guardians were. They should have returned to the castle and would have recognized her presence by now, surely. After all, North had all of that impressive technology in front of the Globe that could probably locate unexpected breeches on the premises. If the computers weren't working then she should visit someone or go and find one of the Yetis to tell them that she was there.

Flora stood with this plan in mind. North must have had some kind of mental episode, because this room was fine. Every plant was well accounted for and was healthy. Of course, Flora always did think that the leader of the Guardians was slightly crazy in the head; you'd most likely have to be in order to be Santa Claus. Flora crossed the floor and turned the crystal knob of the door. It was locked. Huh. That was strange.

Convinced that she didn't turn the handle far enough, Flora tried again. No, it was definitely locked from the outside. She panicked. What was going on?! She tugged at the door and cried out in vain, hoping that someone could hear her. The solid wood did not budge. She was trapped in the room and had a vague idea about who locked it, because it certainly wasn't the Guardians. Jack wouldn't even stoop this low to pull a prank on someone. Flora felt fear tug at her heart, and that was enough to call the Nightmare King.

She snapped her fingers. There was nothing else that she could do. She needed help from Bunnymund. He promised that he would come as soon as she sent a distress signal. She tugged on the door again. A deep chuckle made her freeze.

"Having fun, Flora dear?"

Pitch.

Flora cursed silently and snapped her fingers twice more. She needed help, urgently, too. She turned around slowly to see Pitch Black as he lounged on her bed. She shuddered and made a mental note to request for a new bed once this was all over. Pitch grinned horribly and sat up. He threw his feet over the edge.

"I realize that this is sooner than what I had said, but I need you to make your decision now." Pitch stood and crossed to the window. He faced her. "As in, today," he sneered.

Flora tried to play dumb, but in reality her heart sank. "What do you mean?" She swallowed. "Dearest," she added. She tried not to gag.

Pitch smiled and strode across the room. "I need you to decide if you want to be on my side of this upcoming war. We can rule the world together! All I need you to do is plant a little something I call… fear. I can promise you that every child will believe in you." He stopped and pretended to wipe something off his cloak. "And I will release every Guardian from their respective prisons." He added nonchalantly.

Flora gasped. "You captured, and imprisoned, five of the greatest beings on this planet?!" she asked in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because I had too, you little twat!" Pitch screamed. He took a deep breath. "And I'm about to do the same to you if you don't join me. So what's it going to be? Saving you friends, or joining them, leaving no hope or dreams or fun for the kids? I can assure you that all of the Guardians won't miss you when you're gone. In fact, they probably wouldn't even notice that you left them and their precious wonder. If you deny what I'm offering then you will join them where I stashed the Guardians and then you would be gone forever as well." He smiled maliciously. He held out his hand. "Trust me, Flora. They will be released if you join me. You have two choices. Choose wisely."

Flora was silent through Pitch's monologue. She had been secretly sending messages to Bunnymund, but for some reason he wasn't coming to her aid. She sent numerous Christmas roses and dozens of Monkshood but he never answered. Maybe Pitch is right, she thought. Maybe they really don't care about me. Besides, even if she joined Pitch then her friends would be saved. They just wouldn't have to deal with her anymore. She thought hard for a few more moments.

Flora took his hand.