A/N: I listened to I Hate Everything About You, Never Too Late; and Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace, What Lies Beneath by Breaking Benjamin; This is War by 30 Seconds to Mars; and Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day to write this chapter. Also a bit of Evanescence.

Shout-Outs:

Unleashed111: Thank you.

Hategive: He needs all the luck he can get.

UnitedDestiny: This chapter will reveal it.

m.h.77: I know you didn't review but thanks for being here since the beginning.

Smashing Sandcastles

Chapter 12

Finale

By Lightning Frost

Jackson Overland gasped at what he saw. There was an iced over case with a body inside. The memory played around and the body was wounded as it was in the memory. Jackson knew who this was. This was Jack Frost! He found Jack Frost! Now, how was Jackson to wake the frostbitten boy? Jackson walked up and placed a hand on the ice, it froze his hand onto it. Jackson got scared and tried to recoil thus getting his other hand caught.

"Let me go!" He exclaimed as he tried to pull himself off.

"Let me GO!" He shouted and then in a hard pull he managed to trip and fall into the ice case with Jack Frost.

Jackson's breath froze around him. He started shivering and then his feet were wet. He looked down and saw ice water started building and climbing. Jackson was getting scared. It was dark and cold and he was scared. He backed up on the ice to where he was facing Jack Frost and his clothing back clung to the ice. Jackson started turning pale and he couldn't feel up to his knees.

"Help me! Someone help me! I'm going to drown with a dead body!" Jackson called as if anyone could hear him.

"Jackson, calm down. You have to let this happen." The Man in the Moon said in his mind again.

"But I'll die!" Jackson exclaimed.

"You were already dead. Your center was wandering here since it broke. When Jack Frost died-which was only possible after his center was broken- he was preserved here until his center could meet up with him. Now you being the center must reunite with him. You both have to die and be rebirthed."

"I don't want to be a baby!" Jackson whined as the water climbed to his waist. His knees were shaking and about to buckle if he didn't warm soon.

"No, you won't be a baby. Your corpse is in the material world. You are in your mind and looking through your memories to try and find a way to heal yourself. This world is just an illusion, trying to change you, the peace you want is just your body giving up. You have to wake it up."

"So I have to drown in my mind with my other dead body?" Jackson asked through chattering teeth.

"No, you are Jack Frost's center. Therefor you are as he was before he died. You have to become Jack Frost and in order to do that you have to die the same way he died. He sacrificed himself for someone he cared about and how you have to drown. Try to make this fun."

"Fun? Are you crazy? How is dying fun?" Jackson asked.

"You did it before." Manny replied before he left to watch the material world.

Jackson was thinking of how to make this fun. He was about to drown and it was required. He knew he didn't have a choice in the matter. How to make it fun? Jackson thought he knew it. The water was up to his shoulders. He was going to play shell finding with his sister. He pictured her in his mind and then pretended they were doing to dive for shells in the river. As the water covered his face he saw him and her finding shells and whenever a fish would swim by he would make a fishy face and she would laugh. Jackson's gasps for breath were laughs instead. As he was dying he had separated from the ice and floated closer to Jack Frost.

Jacksons laughs of death were bringing him closer to Jack Frost. Jackson could feel Death reaching its claws out to grab him. Like a magnet he was pulled closer to Jack. Jackson let go of his last laugh before his life ended and the two bodies merged into one. The center soul was conjoined with the body and they were one once more. The water drained from the ice container and it opened.

Jack Frost fell to the ground coughing and gasping for breath. His staff lay next to him outside of the container. Jack got up and grabbed it and then exited the Flashback Hallway. There was a bright light that chased away Jackson's fears. It dried his clothes and hair and lit the way. Jack Frost followed it and finally he could see clearly again.

"Let's go save the Guardians!" He said before the Moonbeam led him out of the dark depths of his mind.


Pitch pulled back the spike and was aiming towards Sanderson's heart. The Bronzeman stood no chance against the black and bronze sand that would soon consume him. He was ready to win the game. There would be no more dreams ever again. This would be the end. Pitch Black was going to kill the Bronzeman permanently. He released the spike. It spun as it flew through the air. The cries from the Guardians were music to his ears. The spike was so close to its target, just another meter.

"Yes!" Pitch mused but it was not meant to be. An ice shield blocked the spike's target.

"Jack?" Sanderson asked and the white haired and bloodstained boy nodded.

"Can't kill us that easy Pitch." Jack said before delivering a blast of Frostbite at Pitch which temporarily froze him.

"Sandy, I've got an idea. I know this is your battle but I'm going to help you." Jack said with confidence, like his old self. He flew around Sanderson and frost spread up him. It merged with the Bronzeman and made his armor stronger.

"See if Pitch can hurt you with that on." Jack finished before joining the Guardians from where they were.

Pitch broke out of the ice and fired multiple spikes at Sanderson. They barely scratched the empowered sand. Sanderson pulled out a hammer and pulled it back. Pitch blocked the attack with his own shield of bronze and black. He crafted his famous pick axe and swung and jammed the end into Sanderson's foot. The end broke off inside the ice and slowly converted the sand, one grain at a time.

"Ow, that kind of hurt. I don't like pain Pitch. Do you?" The Bronzeman asked before picking up his humongous foot and aiming above Pitch.

Pitch spotted something when Sanderson lifted his foot. There the bottom wasn't covered in ice. He crafted a large spike and as Sandy brought his foot down it was like he was stepping on a cactus. He recoiled and in the rush the spike broke off the floor and imbedded itself in the Bronzeman. It was like an annoying splinter that you couldn't get out even with the tweezers.

"Okay Pitch, it's official. I hate you." Sandy replied coolly before kicking at Pitch with his injured foot. Pitch didn't see this coming and was thrown into the wall where it crumbled and his back cracked in several places. He fell to the ground and rushed for the broken bones to mend.

"Go Sandy!" The Guardians cheered with their centers returning.

Sanderson picked up the mending Pitch in his hand and using the frozen sands he crafted a jar. He dropped Pitch inside of it and sealed the top in pure frozen golden sand. He then proceeded to pick his friends up and sprinkled golden sand on them. The magic of it mixed with ice caused their wounds whether they be emotional or physical to heal.

"I will escape Sandman! This I vow to do! You will pay! I will kill you!" Pitch shouted before some golden ice sealed his mouth shut.

"Pitch, maybe you should let the children sleep. A little quiet could do everyone some good." Sanderson said before he began to send out icy dreams to repair the damage Pitch did.

"Let's get out of here." Toothiana suggested before testing her repaired wings. She found she could fly again.

The Bronzeman knew he couldn't leave. If he did then Pitch would be able to escape. Then something caught his attention, his foot. He couldn't feel it anymore. It was turning to dark bronze sand. Sanderson knew it would eventually take over all of him and he'd be like Pitch. From his mass size it would probably take a year for him to be fully converted. The children would have another year of good dreams before he fell to the darkness.

Jack felt pain in his chest. There was a black sand spike inside of him and his skin and flesh had healed over it. Jack placed his hand over the spot and grunted in pain. He noticed that patch of skin was a greyish tint. He wouldn't be able to go back, he'd cave to evil and could potentially hurt the Guardians. Jack could feel tears, he had maybe a year before his frozen blood carried it all the way through him.

"Guys, I can't leave here." Sanderson said to them sadly.

"Neither can I." Jack added as a traitor tear fell.

"How come?" North asked puzzled.

"We're infected with the darkness. There is no cure to it, because it is inside of us." Sanderson replied.

"It's in my blood." Jack added.

"And I can't change it because it is too in my 'bloodstream'." Sandy said before picking the Guardians up in his hand. He pulled them close in a hug and then set them back down.

"Sanderson, I'd be honored to go into the darkness with you." Jack said to his friend. Another tear fell.

"And I with you Jack." Sanderson replied.

A/N: Stay tuned for the Epilogue. It will wrap everything up. I know this was a pretty bad ending. I knew it wouldn't be totally epic or happy. I've just got the Epilogue and this story will be complete. Thank you everyone for taking the time to read my first multi-chapter story. Thank you for going on this journey with me and for those who stick for the epilogue I'll give you some inside info on the next story I'm going to write.

I hope you enjoyed.