White swirls bloomed into the heavens as the bright orb named the sun gently rose into the cosmos. The night's watchful eye took over the yang of the world, whilst the shimmering rays of daylight took hold of the yen. Equilibrium at its prime as the two holders of the world passed off their guiding eyes. The goddess blissfully blazing within the hearth of the sun, and the man peacefully resting within the core of the moon; all was at rest.
At least, to the physical world that is.
Unbeknownst to the realm of mortals; a war of ground shaking chaos was about to ensue. Snaring its victims into a ravenous grasp; this battle would mark the end of the century, if they made it to the end to see it.
Pitch, with his ruthless hold over Jack and his nightmares, plagued the earthly soil which covered the barren landscape of the town Burgess It seemed fitting, at least to the Nightmare King, to use Jack's once beloved "home" as a death sentence for the Guardians. To see them mutilated and ground into the sole of their own blood, waste-less and tossed aside like the trash they were; this was a feast for the Nightmare King, and he was going to bathe in every waking moment of it.
As they ascended from the dense fog of shadows into the world above, Pitch leading and Jack in tow; they marked their point in the center of a barren field. The Guardians would be here soon, Pitch made sure of it. Destroying Easter, stealing the memories, and obliterating the wonder within the world; all of it was exactly how Pitch wanted it. As with all plans, not all had gone array. The Sandman, he planned on making him one with his nightmares, turning off the light to dreams, and melting everything into darkness, but as to the classical play of heroes and villains, the dimwitted spring spirit had to "save" the day. The sandman could have been his! But that sad excuse for a spirit had to go and ruin it all, not to mention the sorry state he left Pitch in after the run in back at the Tooth Palace. Arriving back to his abode of fear Pitch had several broken ribs, a broken leg, deep cuts wound around his body, a black eye, blood covering himself, his robe, and now the floor, a few Teeth missing, and a broken Jaw.
He was strong, he'd hand him that.
No matter, now his army was ready, and Luke Overture would be the first to go, Pitch would make sure of that. Jack was now his, his nightmares at the peak of strength, and his time was now. He would be believed in, and the Guardians, would be no more.
The clattering sound of bells rocketed through the air and brought nature to a standing halt; crimson red wood collided into an abrupt stop and the passengers within found their space between one another strangely limited. A very agitated rabbit slammed into the back of St. Nick himself, Tooth and Luke once again found the sides of their heads collecting together like a magnet; all whilst Sandy enjoyed the very fun ride, his arms strewn up in joy.
"North, watch were ya' bloody land this thing!"
Strafed groans and agitated huffs is what Aster received and the Bunny recoiled into his own sigh. The way North flew this thing, sometimes Bunny rationalized he didn't care if he wrecked the damned thing or not. Honestly, the rabbit wouldn't mind if he did. No more, "Nonsense! Sleigh much better!" banter North just loved to comeback with during one of their many arguments on directions of travel. Truthfully the audacity the "jolly" man had to just call anything and expect it to be the final decision on things drove Bunnymund to the brink. He wasn't the leader; Manny choose all of them as Guardians, not just Nicolas St. North.
But now wasn't the time for one of Bunny's endless battles with his friends; they had bigger things to attend to. Righting his dazed head; Aster jumped from the sleigh, the others in tow. The scent of Nightmare's flooded the area and assaulted Bunny's nose like vomit spewing from the devil's mouth himself. They had tracked Pitch to this location, and using Aster's heightened senses, touched/crashed down a few yards away from the belly of the strong smell which pelted the rabbit.
After recollecting themselves, The Guardians plus a spring spirit made their way down the forest path; eyes open, minds alert, and fingers frisking the tips of weapons, all for the sake of the shadows which seemed to loom over them. Breathing was hitched, the spirals of chaos lying out like a blanket before them; they were walking directly into it, right into the lion's den. The wind passed by the cautious beings, a phantom held within midnight; it brushed past the group altering their solid stance into a shivering catacomb of frost.
Frost…
Bunny's mind kicked into thought as it dwelled into the action the wind was acting out. The wind seemed to be walking alongside them, diving into the bath of demons with the heroes who marched onwards. The wind was with them, guiding them, protecting them, just like it did with Jack all those 300 years ago. The wind protected Jack, and it was going to do the same now, just as it always has done. Sure, the wind might let other spirits ride its trails for a short time, but never has the wind given anyone the role of rider. The wind was alone, bitter, and trapped. That is, until Jack Frost came along. The wind belonged with Jack; the wind was Jack's only friend as Jack was to it; two kindred souls searching for one another amongst the thick layer of darkness which wrapped its tight embrace around them. The wind was with Jack, and Jack was with the wind, always and forever.
Bunny smiled at the thought. Everyone was here for Jack, even the wind. The broken spirit, the innocence which had been lost; Jack was just a lost child with no light. They were going to find his light; they were going to be his light. The Seasons may not be here physically, but he knew that they were there within his heart. The life which Mother Nature poured into the world now spewed with Love as they spun their web within the bed of Jack's heart. Everyone was here for him, and only him. To be damned if they couldn't get Pitch today; only one thing was on their mind, save Jack, and that's just what they were going to do. Pitch was a headache saved for another day, and right now a bigger problem was their main focus. Pitch had Jack, and they were going to get him back, or die trying.
The wind brushed a few limbs from their path as they walked, and eventually the strong scent of nightmares accompanied by the wind's guidance led them to an outlining of trees before the clearing ahead of them. Bunny crouched low, his hunter instincts kicking into overdrive; the other's sensing this, followed suit. Bunny drew his hunched legs closer to the ground as he crawled inches above the earthly cold soil. His destination in sight; Aster slowly crafted his path to the limbs blocking them from Pitch's view. Silently motioning to the others, he indicated their plan of attack. Tooth backed up a few feet before carefully ascending into one of the tall tree's which crafted the woodland air. Luke called upon the gift of spring; stripping the moles of atoms apart which constructed his body, and dissipated into seemingly thin air; only small orbs of dust lay afloat within the suns morning rays.
Sandy hid behind the tree Tooth was perched within; drawing his tiny sandy hands down, he lightly touched the brown hued soil. Concentrating, he crafted a river of sand to emanate from his hands in streams and made their course to direct into the earth. He called them to spiral out, overtaking the layer beneath the ground, and coating it with sand.
North quietly shifted back a few feet, far enough back to where Pitch nor his Nightmares could detect him, but close enough to be involved if need be. Trailing the circle of the clearing, North intricately placed snow globes around the entire primacies, all connected between one another and linking to the master globe which North held within his hands. Now all that was left to do was to wait.
Aster slowly walked from his perched position behind the flora and stepped into the clearing. All eyes descended upon him as he walked into the mid-sized space which held no trees. Pitch's wary gaze morphed into a pleasant smirk as he took in the sight.
"They sent you? Truthfully I expected more of the beloved Guardians."
"Oh shut it Pitch. You know why I'm 'ere."
A sarcastic confused look spread across the Nightmare King's face as his eyes bugged into disks.
"Why no I don't. Oh wait! You must be talking about my new pet."
"Cut the crap Pitch! Where's Jack." A feverish growl erupted from the Pooka as the word left his lips. Pitch just chucked as a retort and motioned behind his back.
"Jacky, be a dear and come here."
The image before him drew Aster to a halt as he took in the sight. Jack…wasn't Jack; no that couldn't be Jack…right? His hair wasn't the snow blinding white it used to be, instead in the wake was an ash grey hue that wrapped around his head like thorns. His skin which once blushed with the frosted smile of a rose grew dark as his face hallowed in a distorted fashion. Ice blue eyes radiated with the suns power turned over into the dark abyss which now plagued them; eyes are gateways to soul, for Jack, the light was plugged out as the soul which lay trapped within was buried underneath layers of darkness.
His hoodie was splattered with blood stains and ripped to shreds in certain areas as was the same with the pants he wore. His fingernails were no longer painted with the light blue frost which tinted his body, no, now all they were, were remnants of a shallow pool of decadent silence. Aster was stunned.
"Jack…what did he do to you?" A shaking voice called from the rabbit's lungs as he shivered at the sight.
It wasn't the blood, it wasn't the now distorted colors which held Jack, no, it was the veins which should carry blood within his body. They crawled beneath his skin, slivering their ways up to his neck and across his face; pulsating not with blood, but with a black shadow through a midnight tunnel. Shadow's sneaked within the veins, coercing their plan to continue their control over Jack's helpless form. Whatever was beating within Jack, with every pulse, the siren holding its song over Jack grew darker.
Bunny never feared for someone in his entire life.
No! Fear is not an option! Pitch feeds off of fear, and he wasn't about to give the so called "king" any more power than he already has. This fight wasn't Pitch's to win; they were going to return to their homes victorious, Pitch defeated, and Jack in tow. It had to work, it just had too.
"You like? Although it took a bit of time, I finally made him perfect. I must say, he's quite the screamer."
"…What?"
"You heard me. As much as I'd hate to admit it, he does have a very delicious body." Pitch snarled with his infamous smirk he seemed too bold and too proud to wear almost all the time.
"I…a child Pitch…A CHILD!"
"Like what you did was any better."
"That-I- how does that make any sen-"
"YOU left him alone for 300 years. I thought Guardians were supposed to guard children. Obviously you failed with this one."
"PITCH YOU DIRTY STINKING RATBAG COME 'ERE"
Full throttle Bunny charged to the black robed man. Swiping a time altered hand of nightmare sand; Pitch commanded his nightmares to attack. Bunny suspected this preemptive strike and quickly summersaulted into the air, knocking the nightmare in the back with his hind legs, and sending the beast flying.
"NOW!"
The plan cry executed, the others sprang into action. Tooth bulleted into the air, her wings sharp as knives, she aerial swooped upon the unsuspecting nightmares and dove straight into the heart of the beast. She twisted and turned in all sorts of juggled directions and as she made her ascent, she paused to look at the fear clearly shown upon Pitch's face. Her razor sharp wings stopped with a moment in time, and the sharping plane of her wings could be heard within the sparkle it emanated. Smirking with her pearly whites, she drove straight into the attack again, skillfully and efficiently destroying any nightmare within her path.
North smashed his master globe into the brown earth below him, shards of glass spun out in an echo as a response. As with the master orb, the others followed suit, and before Pitch knew it, dozens of portals had opened all around him. With the crackle of glass, hordes of yetis shot from the swirling depths and out on to the battle field. Yetis upon yetis bolted from the portals, their cry's bolstering through the air. Unsheathing his blood thirsty swords, North roared into battle, his weapons lit ablaze.
Sandy took hold into the center with Aster, nightmares now swarming around them like a pack of bees. Branding his hands with the pulse of his whips, Sandy plundered any nightmare who even dared to come near his friends, and Luke?
Luke is what surprised Pitch most of all. Seemingly ripped from the fabric of air and placed into the battle, he had no idea where the boy had come from, and that thought troubled him. This shouldn't have happened, everything was still set up perfectly, and he was supposed to ambush the Guardians, not the other way around. Surely this spelt the end for - wait. He knew what would make Luke crack, and by god was he going to use it.
Luke charged towards Pitch, fists drawn up into fight. The nightmares tried to protect their master, but unfortunately for them, every time one would tread near, Luke shot out a burst of pure energy that burned the nightmares like a bolt of lightning. The closer he got to Pitch, the more rage filled his battle hungry eyes, Pitch was here, Pitch was going to pay, Pitch needed to di- get a grip Luke! Control yourself, your weakness is your enemy's greatest strength, don't let Pitch use that.
The wind, just as abhorrent as Luke, cradled the spring barrier into its grasp, and flipped the youngling over Pitch. As Luke fell into the summersault, he raised his bare feet and kicked Pitch square in the jaw; the earthly rattle which met him was music to his ears. Pitch on the other hand; found it not to be as pleasant.
Distorted with the fury of a dragon, Pitch recollected into the attack and swung his left fist out, going for an uppercut. Swiftly using the wind, Luke jumped a few inches above Pitches attack, using the wind as seemingly a platform for his play, albeit, Pitch thought faster, and by using his right hand pummeled Luke with a massive spire of black nightmares. It darted right through the side of Luke's stomach, and shot out the other side. His cry filled the air and for a brief moment, he fell to his knees withered with Pain. His blood spewed out upon to the ground, phasing through his shirt and flooding onto his hand. His vision blurred red, and crimson shadows overtook him.
No...Jack...No!
Calling upon the will of his strength, he stood upon his own two feet, ready to face his death if it meant he died protecting the ones he loved. Unbeknownst to him, the others had already finished off all the nightmares and now stood to Luke's side, Tooth fidgeting if she should help him.
"I-I'm fine T-Tooth." Luke managed to say.
She was about to say something, but Pitch's laugh rung around her feathered head and she as well as the others turned to face Pitch.
"Why I say this was the most unexpected attack I could have seen. You've gotten smart Guardians, I'll hand that to you."
"Pitch! You know why we're here. Let Jack go!" Luke shouted through lethargic breaths.
"Why what is there to give back? Jack is no longer my dear boy. Only darkness remains."
"What do you-..."
Jack stepped from behind the elusive back of Pitch Black, and Luke was caught dead within the headlights. The remnant of Jack's once childlike aura was no longer amassed from the world; instead in the wake of the disturbance laid a skeleton frame of chilled death. A hand etched out from Luke, and he brought it back hesitantly.
"J-Jack…?"
The motionless breath of Jack's face made the spirit's worry rise even more; Pitch's laugh thundering throughout.
"Do you like?" I say it took a bit of time but…the results are just, remarkable. Wouldn't you say?"
"Pitch…I…you...how could you?"
"How could I? How could I?! Maybe I'm tired of being like this! It's time the world once again tasted Pitch Black. I will be believed in…even if I have to kill every last one of you."
With the words spoken, a massive wave of black sand erupted from behind the two, skillfully and strangely hitting everything except Pitch and Jack, and spun towards the Guardians. Jack, under the influence of Pitch, unleashed his Frosted essence, and thorns of frosted spikes shot out from him. They intertwined within the black wave, and shot straight towards the heart of the guardians.
Knowing what lay beyond the ground, Sandy called upon his defensives as a last resort tactic, and swiftly brought his miniature golden hands up into the air. Instantly, a cyclone of golden sand erupted from the ground, equal in size to Pitch's own wave of black chaos. The dome rose from the dew accented ground, and towered of the group, showering its golden specs upon the land. The black volcano of midnight sand clashed into gold and instantly the two battled for dominance. Swirls with in the air were crafted, and Sandy and Pitch simultaneously locked into death stairs, their wills now at war.
Unfortunately for Pitch, Sandy was much stronger.
As the Black sand was pushed Back, Pitch still tried to assault the force field of golden sand now surrounding the guardians in a protective manor. The ice thickets that Jack had unleashed tried to plummet into the Guardians as it was not affected by Golden Sand Sandy had let loose. Thinking upon his feet at the same time as Sandy, Luke unleashed his own spring powers, coating the outside barrier of sand with the heated power of spring.
Pitch at first thought his plan wasn't going to work, that him and Jack would have to retreat back into the shadows of his home, but then the thought struck him. They were at a stalemate, that now the battle of time had risen. One of them would have to give out first, and whoever did, would be the loser. Sandy could hold up to the yang opposite of his sand, but Luke on the other hand; he was younger, weaker, and less likely to hold up against the now faded form of Jack.
His hands broke with glass, feebly shaking within the blistering whips of wind. This was it, he was going to lose, he was going to die, he would never see his family again and worst of all, he would never save Jack…
Hands clasped upon his shoulder and a glance up; 3 hands on his shoulders allowed him the briefest state of shock. Tooth, North, and Aster all had their hands placed upon his and Sandy's shoulders, supporting the fight. Smiling along with the rest of them, their strength passed beyond one another, and together they formed into one colossal source of energy, something Pitch could never amass to. The nightmares were pushed back into a magnetic shade of white bursts, and in an instant, the battle was over. The nightmares defeated, Pitch was left quivering within a pile of his own ruin, Jack unconscious next to him. Triumphing cheers and claps upon backs is what was heard, and the group descended to the now defeated Pitch.
Gaining his bearings, the defeated Nightmare King swiftly ascended and tried to scurry his way back into the shadows.
"Oh no you don't."
Luke quickly called upon the sun now resting higher in the morning sky. Its warmth called from him, and cradled into the palms of his hands. The orb churned upon himself, radiating sunlight bursting from his fingertips. Tossing the power into the sky, an emanating light barricading the darkness swept over them, keeping the shadows hidden and away from Pitch's grasp. Pitch instantaneously skidded to a halt, fear freezing into his eyes.
Bunny was the first to approach the fear king, grabbing him by his bony shoulders, Bunny pinned him against the nearest tree. North took both his swords, and swiftly stabbed Pitch's robe against the tree, now firmly locking him in place.
"You think you've won Guardians? I'll be back! I'll always come back! There will always be fear."
"You're right." Luke said, gasps quickly following.
"Whoa, hold on 'ere mate. What are you saying?"
"Pitch is right, there will always be fear."
"You can't be serious. What 'bout what just happened? What about Jack!?" Bunny said, a feverish yell now bolstering from his lungs. Luke couldn't be serious, did nightmare sand hit him? Had he gone insane?!
"Pitch, the world will always be full of fear, with or without you. But, why do you think fear is there?"
"Why should I answer you brat?"
Ignoring the comment, Luke continued. "Fear makes us stronger Pitch. When you place your fear into the world, people are scared yes, but what happens afterwards? They grow stronger once they overcome that fear. You put into the world as much as the Guardians do. You give them strength."
"Heh, if I give so much to the world, then how come nobody ever sees me?"
"Are you sure that no one ever sees you?"
Pitch scoffed. "I think I would know if I had a believer."
"That's where you're wrong."
"What do yo-"
Before he could finish, Luke had unsheathed North's swords and Pitch landed slightly against the ground, his back now leaning against the tree. The blast of energy they had unleashed had taken its toll on Pitch, and he found his strength to be zapped. The Guardians quickly sprung into a fighting stance, not trusting Pitch and swiftly sending stunned looks towards Luke. A sorrow smile played onto Luke's face as he reached his hand out for Pitch to take.
"I can show you, but only if you let me."
Pitch hesitated, and the Guardians kept their guard raised. Shock had raised as they watched Pitch look towards them and Luke, but what surprised them the most, is when Pitch accepted Luke's hand.
H.o.l.y c.r.a.p. That is the longest chapter I've ever written in my life! I really wanted it to be long since this is basically the closing act of my first Story Arc. The next chapter will officially close the first arc. I wanted this chapter to close it, but I took in the fact that I hadn't updated in a while and I really didn't want you guys to wait.
So, all in all, chapter 14 shall mark the ending of the first arc, and chapter 15 shall commence the second arc., which shall be the pairing! So it's basically the romance portion of this story. Every story needs some good UST and romantic angst. So be prepared for that! I'm telling you all this because I know some people go for certain genres, and if you'd rather not read romance, just stop reading this story after Chapter 14.
I hope I didn't leave you guys with too big of a cliff hanger; the next chapter should come quickly - I hope. So until then, balancing school work, writing this, and my love life, have all become my prerogative. I freaking love all of you - Have a good week guys!
As always,
R.W.R.