Happy Saturday!
So nice to being hearing from all of you guys again! I've missed you all sooo much!
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DISCLAIMER: Jack Frost, Pitch, and the other Guardians belong to DreamWorks
(General POV)
A golden whip crackled as it hit the asphalt hard. Black dust was scattered on the street- all that remained of the Nightmare.
But the little golden man's work was far from done. He spun around in the air, his whips swinging around like ribbons in the sky, ready to face his next opponent. The Nightmares charged.
Bring it on, his smile seemed to say.
(Lyra)
My chest hurt.
It wasn't just my side anymore, but my whole torso felt like a giant band was being tightly wrapped around it, squeezing it. I began to fear that I wouldn't be able to breathe.
I stopped in my walking and took three deep breaths. There, see? I told myself. You can breathe fine. You're fine. Nothing is wrong-
"You ok?" Jack asked, looking back when he realized I had stopped. He had masked his features into a calm appearance, but I knew he was worried. He was just trying to avoid panicking for my sake.
Likewise, I looked up and put on my own mask of calmness. "Never better," I assured him.
From then on, I ignored the pain in my chest, and focused on what was waiting for us as we descended deeper and deeper into darkness.
The first time I had been down here, I'd noticed something funny about the light and shadows. Wherever Pitch stood, the shadows were drawn to him like a magnet, building upon the darkness that surrounded him. But wherever I had stood, the shadows had curled away from me, repelled by Light. Like the negative side of a magnet, the shadows retreated wherever I'd stepped. I'd thought nothing of it at the time.
But now, as Jack and I walked, I was noticing that this was no longer the case. The shadows still moved away from me, but it was like they were alive. They seemed... hesitant... to move away. Some did, and some didn't. It was like some wanted to be near me. Instead of the large glow of light I had walked in the last time I was here, I now walked in dim-lighted darkness.
It must be because the deeper we get into Pitch's lair, the less power I have over light, I thought. We are going to where he is most powerful-
I paused in my thoughts, gazing around at the eerie stone tunnels and archways as Jack and I walked. The realization hit me hard.
No, no, no, it's not because we are deeper in Pitch's domain! No, that's not it at all! I'm weakening in my power as Light because of Pitch's poison, and I'm becoming consumed by his darkness. The shadows are confused. They know I'm Light, but they sense the darkness within me...
Instead of being concerned or scared, I suddenly felt a sense of hope. True, I was dying. True, I had limited time left. True, Michael was in here somewhere, and who knows what was happening to him. But I felt hope.
Without realizing it, Pitch had given me a gift- if I was being consumed by his darkness, I just might be able to have some control over it.
As we walked, I experimentally held my hand out (to the side so Jack couldn't see) and concentrated on the shadows. I tried to pull them closer to me, like I so often did now with light beams. At first, nothing happened. Then slowly, one by one, the shadows inched closer to me.
It's like I have to gain their trust, I thought, amazed. I released my hold on the shadows and continued walking.
Tsar and I hadn't expected this. I smiled. Perhaps we could win after all.
The shadows began to condense around Jack and I, more so than they had before. My heartbeat sped up when I realized that it wasn't me that was controlling them this time- this was Pitch.
Jack had noticed too. "Stay close," he warned. I nodded-but like I needed telling!
"Isn't that just sweet!" A new voice interjected. "After all this time, he still thinks he can protect her. Shall I recount the times that you've lacked in this particular department, Frost?" Pitch emerged from nowhere, smirking victoriously, palms spread open as if ready to accept our surrender.
Only we weren't here to surrender. Pitch was just playing with our feelings, to unnerve us. I saw the winter spirit's features harden out of the corner of my eye. I spoke up before Jack could make a stupid move. "I find it fascinating how almost every time we meet, Pitch, you seem to have the need to comment on the 'sweetness' of our lives. Are you jealous? Or is love the only way you think you can break us?"
He snickered. "Merely making conversation, dear-"
"And speaking of love," I interrupted, "hand over my brother." I pointed my glimmering staff at him threateningly, and for a moment a streak of light pulsed through it. "Now."
His lip curled into a sneer. "And what happens if I refuse?"
"You'll wish you hadn't."
Pitch laughed. A true, manic laugh. "I'm... ha... I'm sorry... it's just... just that..." he began to say, but was interrupted when a ball of light exploded in his face. For a brief moment his vision went white and blurry.
"Go Jack!" I yelled, shooting a ball of light his way. I watched as the white-haired spirit raced down through the halls, guided by my ball of light, to search for and find Michael. If all went to plan, he'd send a signal to Bunny, who would help the two escape.
Meanwhile I got the fun bit. I got to play with fire.
Metaphorically speaking, anyway. I threw all common sense and judgment out the window and sprinted toward the lord of darkness. His vision had, by this point, cleared, and he yelled angrily, causing the walls to tremble and some debris to fall from the vaulted ceiling. Within seconds his long shadow scythe was in his grey hands.
Was it a good idea to run towards an angry nightmare spirit with a long pointy weapon? Probably not.
Definitely not one of the smartest things I'd ever done. Then again, exactly how many smart things had I done the past few days? Jack could hold the record for the naughty list, but I definitely was at the top of the stupid-ideas list. If there even was one.
I fell to my knees, ducking, and barely missing, a swing from Pitch's scythe. I rolled away to one side and sprang back up, flinging the end of my cloak over my shoulder and holding my staff out in front of me. I fumbled in my grasp around the iridescent rod- I wasn't as used to or as fancy with my hold of it as Jack was with his own wooden staff, and as the original Light hadn't used one, I had no inherited instinct to guide me.
But I was determined to hold my ground. Channeling North's sword fighting lessons, I spread my legs apart, bending my knees slightly and distributing my weight evenly. I kept both hands on my staff, ready for anything.
"So you want to play like the big boys?" Pitch seethed, approaching me, eyes never leaving my cold gaze. "Fine."
And with that the real duel began. Light and Dark clashed. Shadows flared from both the light I created and from Pitch's power itself. We took turns dodging and firing blows. I couldn't gain on him, but neither did he gain on me.
Even so, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was just barely keeping him at bay, and any moment now he would overpower me. Again I found myself wishing I wasn't poisoned by darkness.
But now was not the time for wishful thinking. Shooting another beam of light to block a hit from his scythe and instead meeting his weapon with my own, I returned my focus to the task at hand. Gotta stick with the plan, I repeated over and over in my head. I jumped and pushed off the wall, changing the direction of the battle. Backing up a few feet, I slowly drew Pitch away from the direction Jack had run. Now I twisted, turned and dipped, as if participating in some strange dance as I fought, waiting for the right moment.
"How do you hope to defeat me?" Pitch asked, with a bitter laugh. "You can't possibly win. Not with your light being consumed by darkness."
I twirled into him, narrowly avoiding another swing, and grasped his arm tight. I twisted my head up to grin mischievously at his ashen face.
"Like this," I said. And in a flash of golden light followed by a loud BANG, we disappeared, leaving his gleaming nightmare scythe to clatter uselessly to the floor and dissolve into the shadows.
Reminder: DRAWING CONTEST STILL RUNNING! PM ME FOR DETAILS! The contest will run until the story is complete! (Potentially a little longer)
THANKS GUYS!
Guest Reviews:
Jodi- (For Chapters 34-37 :) )- Thanks for the reviews! I am thrilled to see your excitement is still there for this story, even though it has been a while... yes little lyras all grown up now... fancy Guardian and all... and yes, let's hope it all goes to plan... not gonna make any promises :) As for my contest- NEVER say that you can't or wouldn't win. You never know until you try! And yes I do love to draw, but the pic I made just could have been a lot better and idk, I kinda want to let someone else give it a try. I'd rather focus on the story anyway :) Hear from you soon, iceprincess
JODI AND KAT! DO EITHER OF YOU WATCH DOCTOR WHO? Both of you are telling me you're trying to read this without blinking...
Kat- awwwwwwwww I missed you too! Honestly the biggest downer on this hiatus was not hearing from you guys every week. I dunno what I'm gonna do when this story is finished... I'll just have to write another story, I guess hahaha! (wink wink) I CANT STOP FANGIRLING OVER HTTYD2! Awww THANK YOU for shipping my OC with Jack! Hahaha that made my day! SMILES! And I'm not 100 percent sure, but I think Deviant Art might be free...? check it out! And a fanfiction account is free too :) Talk to ya soon, iceprincess
Turtle- (Chapters 36-37)- Aww why thank you very much! I know "Snowflake" is a bit overdone in JackXOC fanfics but... I couldn't really resist :) Thanks soo much for such wonderful compliments! And you will learn her center soon enough I promise! Though, if you look hard enough, I bet you could guess it from the subtle hints I've given throughout the story- her center's been planned from Chapter 1. If you like, I could give you specific chapters to look at... just ask ;) And nope, not creepy at all!- iceprincess