"Uh oh."
It was all that Jack could get out before Elsa sent a magic blast at him, missing him luckily but shattering the ice formation that had been his hiding spot. He rolled on the ground and quickly stood up getting into a defensive position with his staff at the ready.
"Elsa, it's me…you know…old man winter…" Jack tried talking to her, praying that she would recognize him.
"Oh I know who you are Jack Frost." He smiled but it quickly turned into a frown when he saw her bringing her arm back. "And I remember what you told me…" She sent another blast his way.
This time he was prepared and with his own icy powers blocked the attack. When the two blasts collided they burst into icy fireworks. Jack would have noted how amazing it looked if he wasn't jumping out of the way of another blast from Elsa.
"What was that exactly?" Jack asked thinking that if he could just keep her busy then it gave him more time to think up of a plan. "I have a tendency to talk a lot so you will have to narrow it down." Even in the midst of a battle Jack cracked jokes. He was the Guardian of Fun after all.
"You told me to never hide myself ever again." Elsa continued to throw blast at Jack while walking forward. "So that's what I'm doing. I'm embracing myself as the monster that I am, the monster I've tried so hard to hide. Well I'm no longer hiding." She suddenly sent a larger, more powerful blast towards Jack. He was able to deflect most of it but not entirely and it sent him flying until he crashed into the cave wall.
He fell to the ground groaning in pain. Jack was a little bit shocked that powers so similar to his own would have an effect on him, or that they would hurt so badly. Jack made a mental note that once he helped Elsa that he was never going to get on her bad side ever again.
It took a moment to catch his breath but he slowly stood up, leaning a bit on his staff for support. "I don't know what Pitch had been telling you but that is most definitely NOT what I meant." Now, one of the few things that Jack had the upper hand when it came to his powers against Elsa's was his ability to fly. And with his current position, being stuck in a cave was a problem, so, even though he knew that it looked bad, he turned and ran out of the cave as fast as he could.
Once he saw the opening he leaped into the air and flew out into the bright sun. He looked around and couldn't find the monster from earlier but he couldn't find Marshmallow either. He could only hope that the big guy made it out safe. But he didn't have much time to think because emerging from the shadows of the cave was Elsa, with her hands glowing with dark ice magic.
Jack landed gently in front of Elsa. He still held on tight to his staff but made sure to show her that he wasn't going to attack her. "I know you are still in there Snowflake…" He tried reasoning with her. "And I know this isn't you. You have been through so much already. You and your sister….Anna…."
Jack wasn't sure but just for a moment, when he had said Anna's name, Elsa's eyes seemed to change back to blue but before he could celebrate the breakthrough, Elsa shook her head and her eyes turned red once again. And now she looked angry. But he wasn't going to stop trying.
"She's going to be coming around the mountain anytime now. Do you want her to see you like this?"
"Let her see." Elsa retorted. "Let them all see the monster they have feared." She sent a blast but Jack jumped into the air to dodge it. She followed with her eyes and gritted her teeth in frustration. "The only reason I'm their queen is because they are scared of me. Their scared of what the Ice Queen will do to them."
"You know that's not true." Jack was there when everyone gathered in the castle's courtyard. He saw the villagers look at their queen with awe and wonder. The children cheered seeing her come down those steps. Jack didn't want to hurt her but he needed to stop her somehow, so he sent a quick blast aimed at her hands. "They love your amazing magical abilities."
"What the?" Elsa looked down and saw her wrists were covered in ice, like handcuffs.
Jack hoped that the ice-cuffs would stop her but of course they didn't. A second later, the ice around her wrists glowed blue before shattering into a million pieces. But they never hit the ground. Instead the shards floated there for a moment before Elsa sent the millions of tiny ice shards directly at Jack.
Jack waved his staff and created an ice shield that took the brunt of the attack with only a few slicing through his clothes. Luckily, nothing pierced him.
Elsa scoffed. "When will my magic stop being amazing? When will they get sick of my magic tricks and turn on me. So before they can hurt me, I'll hurt them." With both her hands together, Elsa sent a magical icy beam straight at Jack.
He had no time to dodge, so with both hands on his staff, he sent a magical icy beam to meet with Elsa's.
When the two beams collided a shockwave was sent through the surrounding area, sending both wielders flying backwards. When everything cleared the two looked on at the largest ice sculpture they had ever seen. Neither could have created something like it on their own. It was an intricate creation that was both delicate and firm at the same time. The ice twisted and turned in designs that Jack couldn't have come up with in a million years. The sun's light shined through it creating colorful light all across the snowy ground.
"See…your magic can make amazing and wonderful things. You can't let the fear stop you." Jack looked over at Elsa.
It looked like Elsa was about to say something but just as she opened her lips they two heard laughter. They looked to the cave's mouth and out of the darkness slinked out Pitch smiling wickedly.
"Nice try Frost, but it won't be that easy. A little pep talk won't break through the years of fear inside her heart." He snapped his fingers and Elsa once again had a look of evil on her face. Her eyes glowed red as she sneered.
Jack still refused to attack Elsa but he had no problem attacking Pitch. Before he could defend himself, Jack sent a blast at Pitch hitting him square in the chest and making him fall backwards. A great amount of satisfaction was felt when Jack heard Pitch's body hit the ground.
But Pitch simply laughed and got up, even making a show of wiping the dust off his cloths. "It won't be as easy as last time Frost. Your little holiday gimmick guardian friends aren't here to help." He smiled. "And I have my own ice powered princess." He made a motion with his finger and Elsa obliged walking dutifully to stand next to him.
Jack was going to be sick.
"Now see what you could have had Jack…see the power of cold and darkness." Together, in sync, Pitch and Elsa sent their powers at Jack.
He tried to block the attack but it broke through his barrier easily and the combo attack sent him flying through the air and crashing through the trees.
Jack lay there, unable to move and unable to think of a solution. There was no way he would be able to take down Pitch with Elsa helping him out. And Pitch was right; the mixture of their powers packed a powerful punch. If Jack didn't stop them now then they would attack Arendelle next and then the rest of the world.
Just when Jack was losing hope he heard something.
"JACK!"
He turned his head, wincing at the pain, towards the noise. It took a moment but he was able to make out the colors fuchsia and blue as the figure came closer. They came to kneel down next to him and frowned.
"Anna?"
"What happened?" The red head asked with a frown.
Jack sat up and rubbed his head. "It's not looking good. She's different just like the rock trolls said and she's under Pitch's control." Anna gasped. She had heard it from Grand Pabbie but that didn't make it any harder to hear. "I'm not powerful enough to defeat them both and I refuse to attack her."
Anna frowned and put her hands on her hips. "I'm not happy about this either but I'm not going to let my sister be under some creepy dude's power. And I know she doesn't want it either." She stood up and stomped off towards the cave.
"What are you doing?" Jack exclaimed. He jumped up quickly, fear for Anna masking the pain, and ran to catch up.
"I'm going to talk to her. I know I can get through to her if I just have a minute."
"Anna, she's not herself." It was one thing for Elsa to attack him. He had the same kind of powers so it didn't affect him the same way as it would a normal person.
"I have to try!" Anna stepped out of the broken trees and looked around the battle ground. She saw the patches of ice as well as the large ice sculpture. She continued to scan the area until she looked over at the cave and her eyes went wide when she saw her sister.
Elsa stood there, still poised and calm, like her normal self but her new look broke Anna's heart. Jack was right, this wasn't her sister.
"ELSA!" Anna yelled out. The queen turned and looked at the princess. Anna moved forward towards her sister. She saw the man standing next to Elsa and he was ten times creepier than she had thought. "Its me, your sister Anna…you know…the one that has a tendency to keep talking even when she should really shut up."
Jack stayed close behind Anna, keeping his eyes out to see if either of the two made a move to attack but they continued to watch her.
"Anna…" Jack watched as Elsa said her sister's name and just like before he saw her eyes turn from red to blue, and he thought that they had her but Pitch must have seen it too. He snarled at Anna.
"And standing right there in front of you is the girl that caused all of this." Pitch looked to Elsa. "As children it was her that jumped to fast between the snow. If she had just listened to you then she would have never been hit and your parents would never have been scared of your powers. They would have never told you to hide behind some gloves. It was her that pestered you at your coronation ball. It was her that tore your glove off. And it was because of HER that your powers were revealed to the entire kingdom."
Jack could see by the way Anna winced at his accusations that they were true. He turned and looked at Elsa to see her reaction and his heart dropped.
Her eyes flared red and he saw her hands begin to glow with magic.
"Now end her and end your suffering." Pitch finished.
With both hands Elsa sent another beam of ice, this time straight at Anna.
Elsa watched as her so-called sister covered her face to protect herself but it was useless. She was no match for Elsa's powers. But her eyes went wide as she watched Jack Frost jump in front of her sister. With his arms outstretched and his staff in hand, he took the blast straight on.
As if in slow motion, Jack's staff clattered to the ground. And then he fell to his knees before falling face first into the snow.
"JACK!" Anna was immediately there holding him. Tears in her eyes. "Why would you do such a thing?"
Jack gave Anna a weak smile. "Because I know your sister would never forgive herself if she hurt you. I couldn't let her go through any more pain." Jack tried to sit up but fell back down. "I made a promise to make sure that she would never be alone, and even if that isn't me, she will have you." Jack then gave her a smirk.
"Plus there's the whole, I love her thing."
