Selena's head whipped round, sending silvery curls flying about her face. "Jack!" She cried, her eyes lighting up like the moon itself in delight.

He gave her a lopsided smile, about to extend his arms in a hug when he saw the familiar features break out in delight. But his eyes were drawn to the dnger in front of them, and he yelled, "Solider, six o'clock!"

Selena turned just in time to see the soldier slash it's swrod at her throat. She ducked, and Jack pointed his staff at the skeleton, freezing it's joints and rendering it stiff. Selena jabbed her elebow through it's rib cage, breaking the frozen bones in half and sending it crashing to the floor, where she stomped through the frosted skull, crushing it underfoot and causing a cry of pain from Death, who still stood in the shadows.

Together, without the other Guardians for help, Jack and Selena fought off the soldiers. Death kept summoning more and more, one after the other, but it was obvious it was causing her pain, as by the time she had summoned nearly thirty or so soldiers, she was on the floor, grasping at the cold hard concrete.

Crushing the skull was the only sure way to defeat them - and to do so, or to keep them down long enough to do so, it took some work. Jack would freeze them while Selena would crush them, the two making an effective time as they turned and slashed, jabbed and crushed the skeletons to dust, back to the earth they came from.

And then, the soldiers stopped.

The two of them were panting by the time they realised that no morebe soldiers would be errupting from the ground, and having been stood back to back, they leaned against each other. Selena was the first to give out a breathless laugh, followed by Jack, till the two of them were in fits of laughter.

"Not bad, Frost." Selena laughed through her panting.

"Not bad yourself, Celestia." He returned with a breathless chuckle.

She must have thought they were distracted, because Death took this opportunity to zip across the ground, crawling along, almost dragging herself along the cold hard ground as the sun began to rise around them. But she was more visible in the sunlight, and in a movement as quick as lightning Selena stretched out a foot and clamped it down on her black, dusty robes.

"Not so fast." She said, the laughter ceasing immediately as she crouched down, turning Death over onto her back. Selena wanted to just pull back the hood and reveal the face that was still so concealed by the matt black and the dust, but she didn't, not just yet. Jack crouched down beside Selena, peering over Death with a frown and narrowed blue eyes. And then North was there, looking weary and injured, and Tooth had layed herself down on the ground, holding herself up with her hands. Sandy and Bunny still lay in their respective positions, though, and showed no signs of stirring any time soon.

The sun continued to rise over the square, and Death was getting more fidgety by the second. Selena frowned over her, and when she could feel that the moon was now completely under, the square was completly lit up with sun, she said, "Well your plan went well didn't it? We stopped you. We'll always stop you. Remember that next time."

And with that, she pulled back the hood of the robe, tearing it slightly as she pushed it onto the ground. What was now visible shocked them all; her skin, her flesh, was merely a spirit, a ghost upon the skull that was bright white in the sunlight. Her eyes, a faded shade of green grew wide, and the spirit that covered the body came off the bones, floating off into the sky as if being taken up to the place it belonged. Meanwhile the skull, not dormant in the black robes but less lively than before sank into the ground, being swallowed back up to where it came from and leaving nothing but the thin black robe and a layer of ash in the air.

"She's gone." Tooth murmured.

"Not for long, I presume." Selena countered with a sigh.

The group looked at the black hood for a little while, and then Jack asked, "What shall we do with this?"

"Burn it." North said. "We'll take it back to the Pole and burn it."

"No," Selena said, shaking her head. "I'll take it back to my palace, burn it there. The Pole is a place of happiness, and this certainly doesn't belong there." She scooped up the robes, folding it up like her mother had taught her and noting the thick dust that came off on her hands as she did.

"Very well." North agreed. "Let us get these two onto the sleigh, and get back."

With a nod, the group stood, and made the short journey back to the sleigh. North and Jack carried Bunny between them, with Tooth doing her best to help lift his middle up, and Selena carried the Sandman, like a mother would a child. His small golden face was stuck in an expression of pain, and before placing him in the sleigh, she place a maternal kiss on his forehead, leaving a silvery print behind. Hopefully it would help to heal him.

"I'll meet you back at the Workshop in a little while." Selena said, when everyone was in the sleigh. "I'll take this back first, and check on a few things."

"Of course." North nodded. "We'll be seeing you. Take care."

He was about to click the reindeer into action and skid along the ice when Jack hopped out and onto the frozen lake. "I'll come too." He said. "I like your palace."

Selena nodded with a smile, and with a motion to North the reindeer began to stir, and galloped off into the eraly morning air and towards the North.

"Ready to fly?" Jack asked, holding out his hand.

Selena screwed her face up and shook her head. "I was thinking mabe we could take the wind there?"

Jack chuckled. "Sure." He said. "Hold on tight." He grinned, as Selena curled her fingers around his hoody and the other arm around his waist, grinning slightly as he commanded the wind to take her home.