The silver bear glowed brighter than any Patronus Jack had seen, and it bounded toward Pitch, who cast out a shield of darkness. The bear growled and charged straight through, burrowing itself into Pitch's chest. Pitch doubled over, but straightened up quickly. "You still can't defeat me!" he taunted. "You can defend yourselves, you little cowards, but you can't defeat me!"
Jack felt the blue light surge through his body and projected the power towards Pitch, who crashed into the wall, nearly falling out the window. Through the window, Jack caught sight of the full moon and felt his heart swell. The moon had given him power, and Jack felt when it was at its fullest, Jack was at his prime. After all, he was the American Muggle-born of moonlit icy winds. "Is that a challenge, professor?" he taunted. "Do I get bonus points on my Defense Against the Dark Arts NEWTs if I whip your-?"
A wave of darkness hit Jack in the chest, and Jack slammed against the opposite wall. "Jack!" he heard Rapunzel scream angrily. His vision was double and blurry, but he could see the motion of Rapunzel's hair twirling like a beam of liberated sunlight as she attacked Pitch. She dodged his attacks with astounding coordination and knew all the rights spells to encumber and befuddle Pitch in the most beneficial technique. "You're no wizard!" she was shouting as she summoned fire from the tip of her wand. Pitch's coat was singed horribly, and the stench lingered in the air, leaving behind a dramatic smoky stage. "You're an insane, power-hungry, shameful little boy! You use fear as your weapon because deep down, you're afraid. You're the one who feels insecure and you doubt yourself! You're the one who fears rejection and craves acceptance, channeling it through tyranny! Pitch Black, you're nothing but a coward! And that's one thing my hair can't fix, nor can any powerful magic you could ever think off!"
Even during her monologue, Rapunzel was able to cast powerful nonverbal spells. Jack didn't know what they were, because he only saw the motion of her wand, the light bulleting from the tip, and Pitch waving his hand to form a shield of darkness. Merida left Rapunzel as she ran over to Jack's side. "Are ye ok? Jack, ye've got to get up!"
Jack rubbed the back of his head, which had hammered the wall with a sickening clunk. "Yeah," Jack moaned. "The prophecy."
"What?"
"What does the prophecy say that will help us defeat Pitch?"
Merida went through the lines in her head. "Well… the whole stanzas startin' with 'C' told us each o' our parts. 'Cuttin' her life will let her live. Cuttin' his foundation will give him flight. Cuttin' her wand will let her win. Cuttin' his ties will give him pride." Merida's eyes popped open. "When Pitch 'cut' me wand! That let me 'win' the Elder Wand!"
"Exactly," Jack said, shooting another icy ray from his staff to protect Rapunzel as he and Merida ran forward to rejoin the fight. "And when Pitch cut off Hiccup's leg, that was his 'foundation', which is somehow going to help him fly Toothless."
"Hiccup's leg… cut off?" Merida yelled, twirling the Elder Wand through the air. A bright scarlet light rammed into Pitch's skull, dazing him for moment. "What happened?"
"Pitch used a spell and cut it off. Toothless, as a Night Fury, has some power to keep him from dying, but I don't know how it works." Jack watched with admiration as Rapunzel used her hair like some kind of a lasso and pulled Pitch's feet out from underneath. "I left him on the roof. He's building some prosthetic for his left foot with supplies from the helmet Professor Dumbledore enchanted, and hopefully he'll be able to alter Toothless's saddle, so they can fly together. Then, they'll find us and help us."
"Enchanted helmet... never mind. But he's ok. Ye swear?"
"My life on it," Jack said, pulling Merida down to the ground. They ducked just in time to avoid Pitch's black arrows. The arrows demolished against the back wall, almost like some kind of sand. Confused, Jack helped Merida back up and charged towards Rapunzel.
Rapunzel had seen the arrows were some kind of black sand and shouted, "Aguamenti!" The jet of water from her wand doused Pitch, leaving him coughing and leaking black sand. "Gross," Rapunzel muttered.
"Bloody brilliant!" Merida gasped, shooting a smile at Rapunzel. However, Pitch wasn't as lucky, as Merida shot a super sharp and accurate arrow at his…
Jack cringed and crossed his legs. "Good aim," he squeaked, as if Pitch's pain was contagious through his deafening screams. I'm never getting on her bad side, Jack thought with a shudder. "But he doesn't really have one to shoot at, so…"
Merida and Rapunzel tossed their heads back with genuine laughter, and Jack couldn't help but join in. After a few seconds, he realized Pitch wasn't even attacking. Jack caught his breath for a moment to see Pitch standing slowly with hands protecting his ears. It was as if laughter was killing Pitch.
Of course. The opposite of fear is fun. Joy, if Jack wanted to get philosophical. Friendship. Being with people you trusted and enjoyed. Fear is only really the absence of such elements. Jack caught Pitch's eye and smiled cunningly. And Pitch understood. "But you can't do anything about it," Pitch whispered. "There will always be fear. Somewhere. Someway. Somebody. Sometime. Somehow. Something with always be, and that something is fear."
The window behind Pitch started getting blacker, darker, and deeper… and suddenly, Toothless halted to a stop at the window, allowing Hiccup to use momentum to charge straight through and tackle Pitch from behind. "You owe me an apology, you mother- Holy Odin!" Hiccup rolled to the side and stood up, wincing loudly as he put the weight even for a slightest second on his leg. But, luckily, the painful motion helped Hiccup avoid being stabbed by Pitch with a sharp, elegant dagger.
"I stole this from the Squib," Pitch crooned. "Don't you dare get too close!" The last thing Hiccup needed was to see the shine of a sharpened blade. His knees buckled, but Merida kept him from falling over and supported him on his one good leg. Jack was astounded at the mood change so quickly. He could practically feel the inhalation of a new atmosphere strangling his lungs. "Witches and wizards, aren't you? You couldn't defend yourself against Muggles if you tried! The simplicity, the ignorance of Muggles, I've found, is quite more affective against enemies."
The knife was stained with blood, and as Pitch swung it teasingly, it wafted a smell of iron down the corridor. "It's a knife," Jack said, clenching his fists. "What are you going to do? Stab us? You get any closer and we'll destroy you."
"Harsh," Pitch muttered, walking closer to Rapunzel. She took a step back, but Pitch grabbed her wrist and held the knife against her throat. "Well? Get on with it. The part where you audaciously destroy me."
Scarlet beads lined in a row along the blade. Rapunzel gasped painfully as Pitch gently moved the knife side-to-side. "Stop," Jack growled, pointing his staff threateningly at Pitch.
"The staff, Jack!" Pitch snarled. "Hand it over! And I'll let her go."
"No," Rapunzel said, her eyes wide. "Jack, don't-"
Jack remembered the night on the lake, when he had just received his powers. Rapunzel had tried using the power of the staff, and nothing had happened. The staff's and Jack's powers were connected. Pitch couldn't use it. But Jack didn't have his wand. He was powerless.
Blood began staining the white lace neckline of Rapunzel's dress. Jack walked over to Pitch, his bare feet freezing the ground below him. Jack extended the staff. Pitch took it, smiling evilly. "Idiot," Pitch laughed.
"Let her go," Jack said, reaching towards Rapunzel. Pitch extended Jack's staff, and the most powerful wave of darkness Pitch had emitted surged through the wood, blasting Jack across the corridor. He landed on the floor with a hard thud.
"The staff doesn't have the power over winter, Jack. You do. But you can't control the cold without channeling your power through this!" Pitch shook the staff maliciously. "Anyone with a supernatural power can use this staff to channel their abilities and make them stronger than imaginable." The knife was still against Rapunzel's neck, and Pitch turned to her, laughing. "Put your hand on the staff."
Rapunzel's tiny hand curled around where Jack's had once been. Merida suddenly whispered, "Jack, get behind me. Support Hiccup an' get behind me." Jack stood up quickly and ran over to Hiccup, helping him hobble behind Merida who brandished the Elder Wand.
"What's going on?" Jack whispered.
Hiccup turned to Jack mournfully. "If I'm right…"
"Sing, darling. Sing your beautiful little melody for me." Pitch cackled.
"I-" Rapunzel was choking. "I can't if you're cutting into my throat. Please. I'll sing. Just take the knife away."
Hiccup was breathing shallowly. "It can't work," he whispered.
"Hiccup, you're scaring me."
"You don't understand. It can't."
"I've told you, Hiccup, I hate it when you get dramatic." Jack's mind flashed to conversation they'd had at the beginning of the year when Hiccup was going to library in search of a book that may mention a Night Fury. Jack had made the same complaint. But how different the circumstances.
Pitch had lowered the knife accommodatingly, placing it next to her fingers. "Did you know fingers are as easy to break as a carrot? You so dare mess up the lyrics and-"
"Flower, gleam and glow," Rapunzel started, shaking wildly. "Let your power shine." From the roots of her hair, the golden light flowed along her locks, which were drooped down her shoulders. Some hair had stuck to the bloody cut on her neck, causing the healing powers to reseal the wound. "Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine."
"Come on," Pitch whispered, staring at the staff he and Rapunzel held together. As Rapunzel continued the lyrics, something strange happened. A golden light twirled down the wooden staff, and darkness seeped from Pitch's own palm, mixing together to form a gold-and-black glow. The powers hummed off-key with Rapunzel's voice. As she finished the last lyric, Pitch yanked the staff from her palm, laughing. He slammed it against the ground, and the black mist spread over the room.
Suddenly, Jack collapsed onto the ground, along with Merida and Hiccup. Merida had been caught in the middle of an uncompleted Patronus incantation, and Jack felt that familiar depression from the Hogwarts train, the first day of their last year. The Dementor had hovered over Jack, drank his soul…
For an eternity, there was nothing. Jack was horrified.
Suddenly, Jack's eyes flew open, and a golden light escaped from his mouth. He looked around and saw the same thing happening to Merida and Hiccup. "See?" Pitch laughed. "I channel the Dementor's Kiss through the staff! The flower's healing powers are channeled as well. I can torture you over and over and over again just by slamming this staff on the ground!"
Jack looked at the staff in horror, seeing that a golden light still mixed with the staff. Rapunzel didn't need to sing the song for Pitch ever again. He had the power.
Rapunzel held up a strand of her long hair and quietly sang a line or two quickly. She watched her hair light up and frowned. Jack looked on in confusion, helping Hiccup up. Pitch had her power, but not all of it. It was still Rapunzel's power. Which meant she controlled it. Rapunzel bit her lip, and Jack could tell she was thinking hard. He could see an idea flashing before her eyes.
Merida stood up weakly, shaking the Elder Wand threateningly. "Ye don't dare."
"What are you going to do about it?" Pitch said in a bored tone. Jack looked at Rapunzel, who mouthed, Keep him distracted. Tears were steaming under her eyes. Something was wrong. Jack didn't know what else to do but trust the girl he loved more than anything in the world.
"Don't you get it?" Jack said, forcing a laugh. "You walked right into our trap now! You've answered every last question we've had about the prophecy. We know how to defeat you!" Lie, lie, lie, total lie. The lie was so big, Merida nearly snorted, and Hiccup was fighting to keep from laughing. "Don't you understand?" Jack struggled for a line from the prophecy. "When it says… Definite victory ensue by breaking them!"
"What are you saying, boy?" Pitch said, the tone starting as a soft snarl but mutating into an echoing roar.
Jack spread his hands. Technically, in context of the prophecy, that was mentioning how Pitch could defeat them, the next final line of that stanza explaining, Doing so by manipulating, implying Pitch was to turn them against one another. But Jack twisted the meaning. "Obviously, it's symbolic! All prophecies are! You're not stupid enough to be looking at this physically, are you? The metaphysical, Pitch!"
Pitch's eyes widened then narrowed. "You're not saying… why, you ignorant boy, there's no way!"
"Oh! But there is!" Jack said, not knowing what that way was. Rapunzel needed to act quickly, whatever her plan was. "The number one way you'd think it wouldn't work… it's going to go down like that. And we're going to whip your-"
Rapunzel grabbed the knife from Pitch's hand suddenly, and Pitch, surprised, couldn't do anything about it. Crying, Rapunzel locked eyes with Jack. "I'm sorry," she whispered, and Jack realized what she was doing. Jack remembered the short talk they'd had long ago in the halls of Hogwarts. Jack was an immortal teenager, stuck at his age. Rapunzel, with the power of her hair, was stuck as a teenager, never growing older. They could outlive the world with their immortality. At least, Jack could. Rapunzel only could live forever if she kept her hair. Without her hair, Rapunzel would grow old and die. But with her hair, Pitch could take over the world. Would cutting it all off destroy all of its power in the staff?
Pitch froze, his eyes wide with… fear. "Don't you dare," Pitch warned. "Or I'll-"
"Dementor's Kiss?" Rapunzel guessed, holding the knife against her locks. "Combining our powers was a bad decision, Pitch. If I cut my hair, no more healing abilities for me or for that staff. Any remnant of my power will be gone. As for you, if I destroy my power, which is tied to yours, you're going down with me." Rapunzel narrowed her eyes. "You aren't immortal. You combined your soul with the Dementors, which was a stupid move. You don't have immortality. Like a Dementor, you're 'amortal'. There is no life. You are just a vessel, a shell for fear and despair. But if I cut my hair, I will take a part of that away. I'll destroy all the Dementors once and for all. You won't be able to perform a Dementor's Kiss. You'll still have your powers of fear and darkness, but they'll be weak. You'll be weak. And you'll have to 'live' forever with that. And if you didn't know… well, I'm telling you now. Take it as a lesson." Rapunzel was shaking. "You can never combine good with bad. You can't mix them for your own practice. Because everything will come crashing down."
Rapunzel and Jack locked eyes once more. Both had salty tears blazing pathways along their faces. "I love you," Rapunzel whispered.
"I love you," Jack said back, his voice cracking. "And I always will. I'll always be there." But you won't be, Jack thought. Pitch's arrows could never as powerful as the pain piercing his chest.
Pitch lunged forward in a desperate attempt to stop her, but it was futile. Rapunzel tugged the knife through her hair, and suddenly, she became a brunette. Just like her mother and father whom Jack had met only minutes before. "Cutting her life will let her live," Rapunzel quoted the prophecy, and Jack understood. The gold-and-black glow of the staff shone brightly and then disappeared suddenly. Pitch was defeated. Or, at least, his Dementors were.
Jack went through lines of the prophecy. Cutting her life will let her live- Rapunzel. Cutting his foundation will give him flight- Hiccup. Cutting her wand will let her win- Merida. Cutting his ties will give him pride- that had to be Jack.
Cutting his ties… did that mean cutting his ties from all his friends? Every last one of them would grow old and leave him forever. How in the world was that to give him pride?
Pitch screamed and took the staff, now powerless in anyone's hands except Jack's, and snapped it over his leg. Jack doubled over, screaming. "If I'm going down, you're going down with me!" Pitch shouted, shuffling both parts of the staff under his left arm. Pitch charged forward grabbed Jack by the throat. Jack was confused. Pitch's body was slowly growing more transparent, and his grip was getting softer, as if it wasn't even there. But the muscles in Pitch's fingers were still tight. Pitch began backing toward a window and jumped out, holding Jack's neck tightly.
Jack landed on the ground first, cushioning Pitch's fall. Pitch stood up and tossed the broken parts of the staff down to him. "What the hell was that?" Jack screamed. "Some little temper tantrum? And you've got the gall to be mocking us, calling us the immature young children!"
"Allow me to enlighten you," Pitch snarled as he got off of Jack.
Jack stood up and brushed the grass from his clothes. The two had landed in the middle of what appeared to be the palace garden. It was eerie, shadowy, and perfect for a confrontation with a villain. "Enlightenment from darkness," Jack scoffed. "Perfect."
"When your blond little friend cut her hair and destroyed my power, she broke… a contract, let's put it that way. Not one I've signed or ever agreed to. It's the eldest laws of nature and magic."
"How intriguing."
"Your sarcasm isn't going to help you, so I don't see why you stick at," Pitch said with a shrug. "But this affects you, and it's wise you listen closely."
"Ok. Fine. I'll be quiet. Five minutes sound good?"
"Fairly. See, combining my essence with the Dementors… your blond friend got that right. But see, I did more than that. I killed myself already. In the middle of the Forbidden Forest, I performed the Killing Curse on myself with the Elder Wand, but with a twist. Not only did I absorb the powers of the Dementors by doing so, but I also made myself a spirit. What do you know about spirits, Jack?"
Once a teacher, always a teacher. Was this really an appropriate setting for classroom participation? Jack was getting antsy, like this was all really important information, so he played along with Pitch. "They were once humans and now they're dead. They have supernatural powers. We're spirits?"
"Yes and no. Spirits are invisible. When I died, I took on nearly every attribute of a Dementor. Now that the Dementors are no more, I'm merely a spirit of fear, but I cannot utilize this as actual power. I can no longer perform a Dementor's Kiss. I can no longer stir up images and hallucinations in people's mind. Oh, I can manipulate all I want, and I can read into people's greatest fears, but that's it now that I'm not one with the Dementors. Now, Jack, listen closely. What power does a Dementor have that a spirit doesn't?"
Jack sighed, looking down at the ground where Pitch had broken Jack's staff. Jack forced himself to look Pitch in the eye, in his cruel, golden eyes. "Dementors… wear black cloaks like you do. I don't know."
"No, Jack, but you actually nearly understood!" Pitch taunted. "But seriously, the answer I was looking for was very close. The difference is you can see Dementors. That's why I could be seen. That's why I could be heard and felt." Jack remembered how Pitch had pushed him out the window, and how Jack was losing sight, hearing, and feeling of Pitch's essence. "Without the Dementors, I am now a spirit. Now you're already dead. Am I right?"
"I drowned."
"Right, right you did. And on the same night, in fact. I was at the lake."
"You killed yourself. On Christmas Night."
"I thought it had a fairly dramatic level, don't you think?"
"Ok, yes. But… what does this have to do with anything?"
"The Dementors attacked you right before you saved the blond girl."
"Rapunzel."
"Don't interrupt."
"I apologize. But it would be easier for you to just call her 'Rapunzel' instead of 'blond girl', don't you think?"
"Whatever. Your Patronus warded the Dementors off. But they weren't attacking you. They Came because I called them as I was dead, invisible, inaudible, et cetera."
"How did you call them?"
"Complicated. Would dark magic suffice as an explanation?" Jack just nodded and went with it. "Perfect. Well, you prolonged my 'absorbing of their powers', if you will, with your Patronus. But when you pulled Rapunzel off the cracking ice, putting yourself in her place, the ice shattered underneath you, causing two dead wizards to be in the Forbidden Forest, less than a hundred meters away from one another. So, when I did my complicated dark magic, absorbing the powers of the Dementors into a dead wizard body… Honestly, Jackson, I don't understand the entire magic behind it. I absorbed all the powers of the Dementors. But something in my spell interfered with the magic of the moon. You died, Jackson. Rapunzel's hair did absolutely nothing. The moonlight brought you back to life as a spirit, acknowledging your selflessness. It does that sometimes for heroes. Rarely, nonetheless, but still."
"So… when Rapunzel sang her healing song that night, her hair glowed silver like the moon. What was that about?"
"Imagine two children racing to a finish line. The stronger one shoves the other to the ground. The second kid's 'running powers' are 'blocked'. The first wins the race."
"So, the moon blocked Rapunzel's power… furthermore, channeled through her… and turned me into an immortal spirit."
"Precisely," Pitch said, clapping. "This would've caused you to become invisible, inaudible, untouchable, like I was. But like I said, my magic interfered. The magic that bound me to the Dementors and kept me able to be seen, heard, and felt latched onto you, for some reason. You should have Dementor powers, too. I wondered why for the longest time why you didn't. But your… little hoodie… the embroidery isn't just silver-threaded frost designs. Dumbledore cast a complex Patronus charm on that hoodie that kept the Dementors from latching onto you." Pitch shrugged, but Jack was shocked. First with the helmet, now with Jack's hoodie; Dumbledore's providence saved them all. "When I connected my power to Rapunzel's hair, I connected part of yours. The part that kept you seen, heard, and felt by other people. When she cut her hair and destroyed her power, she destroyed that power in both of us. No one can see us. No one can hear us. No one can feel us. Now, as I have some of my powers, you still have some of yours. However, I broke your staff just to be rude… so you're technically powerless. That's all to it, really."
Jack was horrified. Not spending an eternity with Rapunzel was horrible, but being able to be at her side until she died would suffice. But now? Rapunzel would never see, hear, or feel him again. He'd never hold her hand; never kiss her again; never take her flying or feel her warm embrace again. "But of course, there's still a way they can see us," Jack said, his eyes stinging with tears.
"One way. In order for someone to see either of us, you, for example, he or she has to believe you are here. He/she would have to believe you're alive. However, they all saw you fall to your death from a window, so good luck."
"They know I can't die."
"They know I can't, either, but they saw me fading as I strangled you. Jackson, you were fading as well, didn't you know that? And I made my last words, 'you're going down with me!' They probably think I channeled my defeated power into you, and by breaking your stick, broke you as well."
"Stick?" Jack fumed. "It's my staff. And they know I'm alive."
"Whatever," Pitch muttered. "Well, this is goodbye." Pitch walked into a shadow, became one with the darkness, and disappeared. Jack walked over to the two broken fragments of the staff and twisted them in his hands. He shook his head, thinking through the prophecy:
American Muggle-born of moonlit icy winds
Along with the bright healer, the beast-tamer, and the bold archer
Against darkness and fear, against lies and manipulation
Absolute victory shalt ensue
The first part obviously meant that Jack, along with Rapunzel, Hiccup, and Merida, would fight Pitch. One would win. There was no tie.
Best the enemy and winner shalt take all
Bring the flower home and keep the power
Beaten by the enemy, the loser will fall
Be without company, alone forever
That meant the winner (which had to be Jack's side) took all… all the Hallows? They brought home the "flower", which had to be Rapunzel. They kept the power… what power? The Hallows still? Jack shook his head in disgust. Inanimate objects are referred to as the noble primary cause of the entire battle. The prophecy also said that when Pitch was beaten by his enemies, he was destined to be alone forever. Check.
Cutting her life will let her live
Cutting his foundation will give him flight
Cutting her wand will let her win
Cutting his ties will give him pride
Rapunzel cut her hair, a source of eternal life, which let her live in freedom. Hiccup's leg, when cut, let him fly with Toothless, but Jack had been slightly wrong about that. Hiccup could fly before. Now, any mistrust or doubt Toothless had in his relationship with Hiccup was dispelled. They could "fly" together, freely, for each other, working as a true unit. Merida's old broken wand won her the Elder Wand. And Jack lost a future with Rapunzel. If "pride" didn't mean being happy but knowing he did what was right, no matter how much it pained him, then, by the loosest definition, Jack had "pride".
Darkness, however, could win against coldness
Destroying no life, foundation, or wand
Definite victory ensue by breaking them
Doing so by manipulating
This was the side affect clause. If Jack and his friends had lost, Rapunzel would have her hair. Hiccup would have his leg. Merida would have her original cherry-wood wand. Pitch was responsible for his own defeat. However, he'd gotten pretty close to defeating them, utilizing his strengths as described in the next two lines. Pitch Black would be able to achieve definite victory by breaking them, turning their backs against one another, feeding thoughts of self-doubt and mistrust. Pitch had easily done this to the dragon. Animals really must be more susceptible to emotion due to their innocence.
Each house will compete
Everyone will see defeat
Except only one side shall see victory
Eternal life to each leader to see his success or failure
Jack's friends were all from different houses. Jack, from Slytherin, brought the cunning, strategizing perks to the team. Also, being from the same house as Pitch, he could understand how Pitch would work.
Merida was from Gryffindor. She'd been the bravest of the team, ready to take on any challenge thrown at her. She was persistent. She didn't grow flustered at each dead end in trying to solve Pitch's mystery. She was unstoppable and always worked on impulse, which always worked perfectly for her.
Hiccup was the Hufflepuff. He was the strongest in the group. He kept them all together, encouraging and trusting his friends no matter what. He was loyal and always came through when he was needed, understanding how his friends needed him most.
Rapunzel came from Ravenclaw, and she always had the wisdom to prove it. She interpreted the biggest parts of the prophecy, was able to fine-tune Jack's plans to make them work perfectly, and somehow, always suspected what was coming next. She did a lot on her own, and handled it flawlessly.
Everyone saw defeat, sure. Pitch didn't have the powers of the Dementors. Gothel died. Jack lost a lifetime with the girl he loved. Rapunzel sacrificed her hair. Hiccup lost a leg. Merida didn't have her wand anymore. Sure, the Elder Wand was powerful, but that first wand you receive from Ollivander's when you're eleven for your first year at Hogwarts can't be replaced. Nostalgia crippled Jack's brain for a moment.
Of course, only one side saw victory. Sure, Jack and his friends had hard times, but Pitch had nothing to show for it. He was alone forever, with no immortal life, but an "amortal" one, loosely fitting the definition of a spirit. He had no magical powers. Just a petty little spooky game he would play, pranking the world for all eternity, crippled with the memory that he did this to himself. He was the reason for his failure. This was the cost he'd paid. Meanwhile, Jack lived forever as well, to see his success carried out. He had to defend unsuspecting people from Pitch's fear forever.
Jack's biggest fear still gnawed at his heart. What if Pitch wasn't a crazy liar? What if he was dead to his friends, gone for good? Jack held the two broken parts of his staff together and concentrated. "I've got to find them," he muttered. "I've got to tell them I'm ok." Rapunzel, he thought, I'm ok. We're ok. I'm coming.
Suddenly, a blue light erupted from the broken halves of his staff, and Jack found himself rocketing up back through the window he'd fallen from, his power fully restored. "Guys!" Jack shouted. "I'm fine! Pitch's gone! We won!"
No one was in the hallway.
"Guys?" Jack called. "Guys! I'm here! I'm alive! Can you hear me? Please!" Jack screamed, shaking his head. It couldn't be. Where could they have gone? Of course! Rapunzel's parents' bedroom! Jack took off and found a room in the castle being the only one with a candlelight surging from its entryway.
Jack ran through the door and saw Rapunzel curled up on the bed with her short, brown hair, crying heart-wrenching sobs. Her parents held her between them, confused, but crying at the sight of their distraught daughter. Rapunzel was holding something close… two wands. One wand was the bright, golden wand Rapunzel had used for the past seven years. The other was the wand of darkened wood that Jack had left with Rapunzel's parents. "He's gone," Rapunzel cried. "And it's my fault."
"Rapunzel!" Jack screamed, running to the bed. He stopped at the edge, looking into Rapunzel's face. She sat there, crying, almost as if she didn't see or hear him. Jack looked at the king and queen. They were equally unresponsive.
Jack turned around to the corner of the room, where Hiccup and Merida stood, observing uncomfortably. Tears streamed down their faces as well. "This wasn't how it was supposed to turn out," Hiccup murmured, holding Merida close. His prosthetic leg, albeit supportive, was too hastily put together to really be satisfactory. He leaned onto Merida, who was crying as well.
"No!" Jack yelled, crying as well. "I'm right here! See me!"
"What do we do now?" Hiccup whispered, shaking in hopeless deject. "Is there anything we can do?"
Merida coughed in her sobs. "There's nothin' we can do. We can try an' find Jack's body, but Pitch probably took it." Merida's blue eyes seemed to be staring at an invisible terror inches away.
Hiccup shook his head. "Jack was supposed to be immortal, wasn't he? I thought he was never supposed to die!"
Rapunzel looked up at these words and stared at Hiccup for a moment, trying to calm herself. Her words were nearly unintelligible as they stammered through choking sobs, and Jack didn't want to hear them anyway. "Jack's dead. But his legend lives forever. He's been immortalized through his bravery, loyalty, and wit. Jack will always be remembered, and what he stood for is always with us. But he's dead. There's nothing we can do about it." Rapunzel burrowed into the arms of her parents as she whispered, "We have to tell his family. He's got a father and a mother and an adorable little sister in the Americas… they like to go ice-skating together." Rapunzel broke down once more.
Jack's stomach twisted. Everything was taken from him so fast. Or rather… Jack was taken from everything. "Just because you can't see me doesn't mean I'm not here," Jack said slowly, his voice slowly rising into a despairing scream. "And I'll always be here for you. I'll always protect you. I'll always be there. I don't care if you never see me or hear me. I don't care if you don't believe I exist. I don't care if I never hear you calling my name again. I don't care… I don't care if you end up with another guy who's going to make you happy and drive you crazy at the same time." Jack's voice dropped to a whisper. "Someone who's going to love and cherish you forever. I don't care if you forget me. I don't care if I'm nothing but a memory, a fairytale you tell your kids. I'll always be here with you."
Stay tuned for the epilogue, coming Christmas Day!