Disclaimer : I Do Not Own Rise of the Guardians.
Destiny : Jack
The Tooth Palace
CUT TO:
SEQ. 1300 - TOOTH PALACE DESTROYED
EXT. SKY - NEAR TOOTH'S PALACE
The sleigh suddenly comes out of HYPERDRIVE at the outskirts of the Tooth Palace. Streaks of black rapidly approaching.
NORTH
What!?
Suddenly our heroes find themselves in the midst of mayhem, as hundreds of Nightmares and terrified Tooth Fairies jet past. It's like a meteor storm. North yanks the reins, and the sleigh veers sharply, dodging the oncoming Nightmares.
"They're going after the tooth fairies" said Tooth, looking extremely angry.
NORTH
What are they!?
Sandy and Bunny duck the onslaught.
BUNNYMUND
Whoa!
Jack now sees that the Nightmares are actually GULPING DOWN the fleeing fairies and flying off with them. It's chaos.
"Are they eating them?" asked Jamie. Tooth actually growled.
JACK
They're taking the tooth fairies!
Tooth growled again.
"I'm going to take one of his teeth for this!"
Jack looks up to see a lone fairy with a Nightmare snapping at its heels. Jack leaps into the air and rescues it before the Nightmare can snatch it away.
Jack lands back in the sleigh. He opens his hand to reveal
Baby Tooth, who's shaking with fear.
JACK
Hey little Baby Tooth, you okay?
Tooth smiled. Souris always did feel smaller than the other. Now she probably will get bragging rights.
As Baby Tooth nods, North steers the sleigh forward through the storm toward the entrance of Tooth's Palace.
INT. TOOTH PALACE - A MOMENT LATER
A vast chamber supported by pillars containing millions of tiny wooden deposit boxes from floor to ceiling. North spots a Nightmare up ahead and hands Jack the reigns.
NORTH
Here, take over!
BUNNYMUND
Huh?
Jack, though surprised, quickly grabs the reigns and smiles as he snaps them.
North laughed. Jack was truly a child at heart. Perfect for a guardian. He glanced over at the young spirit to see him smiling widely.
JACK
Hyah!
North readies his sword and SLICES the Nightmare in half -
NORTH
Yah!
SEVERAL TOOTH BOXES spill out of the split Nightmare and rain down into the sleigh at the Guardians' feet. The Nightmare disintegrates into black sand.
BUNNYMUND
They're stealing the teeth!
Sandy looks at his hands and sees the Nightmare sand take shape and drift away. He and Bunny exchange a look.
Tooth glared heavily at the screen while Sandy felt concern.
The Guardians turn - they're headed straight for a pillar.
NORTH
Jack, look out!
Jack pulls the reins -
JACK
Aaaahhhh!
- the sleigh nearly misses the pillar and skids to a rough stop on a platform. They see Tooth up above.
NORTH
Tooth! Are you alright?
"Do I look alright?" she snapped, pointing at herself, "my helpers haven been kidnapped and all my teeth are missing. I'll will punch out one of his teeth, I swear it!"
Tooth is flying around, visibly frustrated. This is bad.
TOOTH
They, they took my fairies! And the teeth! All of them! Everything is gone! Everything.
Only then does it hit her. Tooth's wings drop in defeat.
She's completely lost amidst the devastation. The Guardians rush to comfort her. Jack stays behind as Baby Tooth pops out from the hood of his tunic and flies over toward Tooth.
TOOTH
Oh thank goodness! One of you is alright!
Tooth felt like crying.
PITCH (O.S.)
I have to say, this is very, very exciting.
Pitch's voice echoes across the open chamber. They look up to see Pitch, standing high above them with a satisfied smile.
PITCH
The Big Four, all in one place.
I'm a little star-struck.
Bunny snorted.
(BEAT)
Did you like my show on the globe, North? Got you all together, didn't I?
Tooth darts after Pitch, but he escapes into the shadows.
TOOTH
Pitch, you have got thirty seconds to return my fairies!
PITCH (O.S.)
Or what?
Tooth follows the sound of Pitch's voice and finds him near one of her tooth box columns.
The Guardians fingered their weapons.
PITCH
You'll stick a quarter under my pillow?
NORTH
Why are you doing this?
PITCH
Maybe I want what you have. To be believed in.
"People do believe in you. They just don't like you" joked Bunny, getting a small smile from Tooth.
Jack takes this in. Pitch moves along the walls and shadows of the chamber and emerges from behind a column.
Anya touched Jack's arm.
"Don't listen to him," she whispered, "you will be believed in."
PITCH
Maybe I'm tired of hiding under beds.
BUNNYMUND
Maybe that's where you belong.
PITCH
Ah, go suck an egg, rabbit!
Jack snorted but covered it up with a couch. Bunny glared at him.
Bunny looks down past the edge of the platform to find Pitch upside down, staring him in the face. Pitch disappears again.
PITCH (O.S.)
Hang on, is that...Jack Frost?
(LAUGHS)
Since when are you all so chummy?
JACK
We're not.
PITCH
Oh good.
Jack turns and sees Pitch standing in the middle of a column.
PITCH
A neutral party. Then I'm going to ignore you. But, you must be used to that by now.
Frost spread from Jack staff to the floor. The others lifted their feet off the floor to protect them. Emma grabbed his staff and took it off him.
"I'm going to keep this" she teased. Jack pulled at face and stuck out his tongue. Emma stuck hers out.
North smiled then he took a closer look.
"Oh, man on a moon" he whispered. Sandy smirked at him and put his finger to his lips.
BUNNYMUND
Pitch! You shadow sneaking rat- bag! Come here!
Bunny goes after Pitch, but he disappears and reemerges on an opposite column. Tooth spots him, grabs one of Bunny's boomerangs and flies at Pitch in a rage...
TOOTH
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Pitch looks at Tooth with a smile and before she can reach him, a huge Nightmare darts out of hiding and rears up at her. Tooth falls back. Baby Tooth hides in Jack's tunic.
"Look's like someone has a new friend" laughed North.
PITCH
(SOOTHING)
Whoa! Hey, easy, girl. Easy.
Pitch draws a wisp of black sand from Onyx's mane, twirls it in his palm, and turns toward Sandy.
Sand was coming out of Sandy's ears.
PITCH
Look familiar, Sandman? Took me a while to perfect this little trick. Turning dreams into Nightmares.
Pitch notices the shocked Guardians.
PITCH
Don't be nervous, it only riles them up more. They smell fear you know.
BUNNYMUND
What fear? Of you!? No one's been afraid of you since the Dark Ages!
Pitch's eyes flash with anger. But then he smiles.
PITCH
(NOSTALGIC)
Oh, the Dark Ages.
EXT. VILLAGE - NIGHT - FLASHBACK
A parent and her two children, huddled around a campfire, scream as a shadow, resembling Pitch, washes over them. It makes its way up the side of a mountain to reveal Pitch, smiling as he stares up at the moon.
The mortals shivered in fear.
PITCH (V.O.)
(NOSTALGIC)
Everyone frightened. Miserable. Such happy times for me. Oh, the power I wielded!
EXT. VILLAGE - NIGHT - FLASHBACK - CONTINUOUS
PITCH (V.O.)
But then the Man in the Moon chose you to replace my fear with your wonder and light!
North's sleigh flies in front of the moon. Tooth and her fairies flit by while SANDY's Dreamsand dances across the sky and Bunny leaps across rooftops.
PITCH (V.O.)
Lifting their hearts! And giving them hope!
"Oh, the horror" Emma faked fainting, bringing a smile to Anya and Jared. Emma was rarely playful nowadays.
Pitch, thinner and weaker than he is now, slips back into the shadows after children run through him while playing in the streets, laughing as they go.
PITCH (V.O.)
Meanwhile, everyone wrote me off as just a bad dream! "Oh, there's nothing to be afraid of! There's no such thing as the Boogeyman!"
"They have no reason to fear you with us around!" yelled North, and the Guardians cheered. Jack watched them before turning back to the screen.
BACK TO THE TOOTH PALACE
Pitch leans toward the Guardians, showing nothing but contempt.
PITCH (CONT'D)
Well that's all about to change.
A SOUND behind Pitch: one of the COLUMNS of the Palace begins to crack and crumble, as if decaying. Tooth is stunned...
"What's going on?" asked Jack, getting concerned when Tooth's eyes began to water.
PITCH
Oh look, it's happening already.
JACK
What is?
Tooth's eyes widen in shock.
VIGNETTES OF CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD
PITCH (V.O.)
Children are waking up and realizing the Tooth Fairy never came.
Lifting pillows and finding their BABY TEETH still there.
"No," whispered Tooth. Sandy wrapped his arm around her in comfort.
PITCH (V.O.)
I mean such a little thing, but to a child...
PULL OUT from the last VIGNETTE, all the way out of TOOTH'S WIDE-OPEN EYE, and BACK TO SCENE. Jack, mystified, moves closer to Tooth as the palace continues to crumble.
JACK
What's going on?
TOOTH
They, they don't believe in me anymore.
"What?" Jack was confused.
PITCH
Didn't they tell you, Jack? It's great being a Guardian - but there's a catch. If enough kids stop believing, everything your friends protect - wonder, hopes and dreams - it all goes away. And little by little, so do they.
Jack's realizes now the magnitude of Pitch's plan.
Jack bared his teeth. Pitch was truly wicked. Jack knew now that he was going to have to team up with the Guardians if there was any way of stopping Pitch.
No Christmas, or Easter, or little fairies that come in the night. There will be nothing. But fear and darkness and me! It's your turn not to be believed in!
Bunny throws his boomerangs at Pitch, who quickly ducks out of the way as they fly around the chamber columns. Pitch then jumps onto the back of Onyx down into the depths of the Palace. The Guardians dive after him, followed by Jack. Bunny grabs a set of egg bombs and launches them at Pitch, exploding seconds before Pitch hits the ground.
"He got away" growled Bunny.
"Not for long" hissed North.