Some random holiday fun since I was in Disney World for Christmas. If you want to get to the real story just skip to the quote.

Jack cleared his throat and set his fingers down on the piano. "Okay guys, this time, let's get it right! On the first day of Darkness, Manny gave to me," he sang. "A snowflake necklace causing an identity crisis!"

Shine sat next to Jack on the piano. "On the second day of Darkness, my Uncle gave to me; two crimson eyes."

"And a snowflake necklace causing an identity crisis!"

Pitch's turn. "On the third day of Darkness, Manny gave to me: three kids a-screaming."

Shine: "Two crimson eyes."

Jack: "And a snowflake necklace causing an identity crisis!"

North's turn. "On the fourth day of Darkness, Manny gave to me: four useless elves."

Pitch: "Three kids a-screaming."

Shine: "Two crimson eyes."

Jack: "And a snowflake necklace causing an identity crisis!"

Bunny's turn. "On the fifth day of Darkness, Manny gave to me: FIIIIIIIVE PAINTED GOOOOGIES!"

North: "Four useless elves."

Pitch: "Three kids a-screaming."

Shine: "Wait, who cares about my eyes?"

Jack: "And a snowflake necklace causing an identity crisis!"

Toothy hummed. "On the sixth day of Darkness, Manny gave to me: Six gummy teeth!"

Bunny: "FIIIIIIIIIIVE PAINTED GOOOOOOGIES!"

North: "You know, I have the yetis."

Pitch: "Three kids a-screaming."

Shine: "There is so much more to me than my weird eyes, Frosty!"

Jack: "And a snowflake necklace causing an identity crisis!"

Sandy's signals appeared above his head, reading: "On the seventh day of Darkness, Manny gave to me: seven kids a-dreaming."

Tooth: "Six gummy teeth!"

Bunny: "FIIIIIIIIIIVE PAINTED GOOOOOOGIES!"

North: "Aw, the elves are kinda cute!"

Pitch: "Why are only three kids screaming?"

Shine: "WHY BRING UP THE EYES?!"

Jack: "I JUST THINK THEY'RE PRETTY, OKAY?! And a snowflake necklace causing an identity crisis!"

The Sun's turn. "On the eighth day of Darkness, Manny gave to me: Firey jealousy."

Sandy: "Seven kids a-dreaming."

Toothy: "Six gummy teeth!"

Bunny: "FIIIIIIIIIIVE PAINTED GOOOOOOGIES!"

North: "Four useless elves."

Pitch: "ALL FEAR THE BOOGEY MAN!"

Shine: "Wait, you think they're pretty?"

Jack: "Whatnowhosaidthat?! And a snowflake necklace causing an identity crisis!"

Jaime's turn. "On the ninth day of Darkness, Manny gave to me: nine storybooks."

Sun: "Firey jealousy."

Sandy: "Seven kids a-dreaming."

Toothy: "Congrats, Pitch. You can scare little kids! WOW! Who can't?!"

Bunny: "FIIIIIIIIIIVE PAINTED GOOOOOOGIES!"

North: "Hehehe...Tooth has a point."

Pitch: "HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME?!"

Shine: "Jaaaaaaaack-"

Jack: "-AND A SNOWFLAKE NECKLACE CAUSING AN IDENTITY CRISIS!"

Tooth's Baby Teeth all squeaked in unison, roughly translating to: "On the tenth day of Darkness, Manny gave to me: ten memory boxes."

Jaime: "Nine storybooks."

Sun: "Hey, I'm not jealous!"

Sandy: "Tooth, North, don't go picking fights with Pitch."

Tooth: "Aw, but it's fun!"

Bunny: "FIIIIIIIIIIVE...god this is stupid."

North: "Four useless elves."

Pitch: "I AM THE NIGHTMARE KING! YOU WILL FEAR ME!"

Shine: "Do you really think they're pret-"

Jack: "C'mon guys, focus! And a snowflake necklace causing an identity crisis!"

Jaime's little army decided to sing in unison. "On the eleventh day of Darkness, Manny gave to me: eleven crazy adventures."

Baby Teeth: "Ten memory boxes."

Jaime: "Wait, I never got any books?"

Sun: "Firey jealousy THAT DOESN'T EXIST!"

Sandy: "Seven kids a-dreaming."

Toothy:"No one believes in the "Nightmare King", Pitch."

Bunny: "Jack, can we go now?"

North: "This is a mess."

Pitch: "THOUSANDS OF KIDS SHALL BE A-SCREAMIN'!"

Shine: "HEY! ICE BOY, LISTEN TO ME!"

Jack: "JUST FOCUS ON THE SONG, SHINE! And a snowflake necklace causing an identity crisis!"

Finally, a mysterious woman stepped forward, who will later be VERY important to the original story. "On the twelfth day of Darkness, Manny gave to me: twelve majestic creatures."

Jaime's mini-army: "Eleven crazy adventures.

Baby Teeth: "Ten memory boxes."

Jaime: "Nine storybooks."

Sun: "I am much better than my brother."

Sandy: "Seven kids a-dreaming."

Tooth: "SIX GUMMY TEETH! WITH BLOOD AND CAVATIES AND FOOD CHUNKS AND-"

Bunny: "How was I convinced to do this?"

North: "Toothy, that's just gross."

Pitch: "I believe Jack offered you pudding if you came, Bunnymund."

Shine: "OOH! I want pudding!"

Jack: "And a snowflake necklace causing- OH FORGET IT!" Jack slammed his hands onto the piano and rose to his feet, knocking Shine off of the bench. As he stormed away, Shine looked up at the piano and noticed he had frozen all of the keys out of anger.

"The fire and ice paradox seen with true sight Darkness does not always equate to evil Light does not always bring good."

-P.C. Cast

"PPPPPPPIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTCCCCCCHHHHHHHHH!"

Pitch recognized the excited voice instantly and groaned quietly. He was standing on top of a building in London, looking at the sun's shine seeping through the clouds, leaving the falling snowflakes almost blinding. Pitch heard a great WOOSH, and felt the wind push against his back as Jack landed on top of the building. Pitch smoothed down his hair and turned to the boy.

"I...have something...to tell...you..." Jack panted, leaning forward and gasping for breath, grinning brightly. Pitch raised an eyebrow. In their fifteen years of partnership, Pitch hasn't seen a genuine smile from Jack that often.

Pitch raised his hand, which Jack's eyes followed like a puppy. Pitch swiped his hand to the right and a trail of sand shot out, speeding over the city and disappearing in the distance. "A little boy is taking his nap," Pitch explained, noticing Jack's confused look. "People are always sleeping. My job never ends."

To be honest, it was tiring. Before the Dark Ages, Pitch never had to give EVERY child nightmares. He and Sandy had split the work. Now it was all on him.

Jack nodded and straightened his back. "It's about Shine."

"I see you finally left her bedroom," Pitch teased emotionlessly.

"She saw me, Pitch!"

Pitch blinked in surprise. The Nightmare Spirit had not seen that coming. "Really? So she's back to normal?"

"Well...no," Jack fiddled with his necklace as he spoke. "But her eyes were red again! Just for a second, then they turned back to that ugly gray. But she looked straight at me and gasped, but then the red went away and it seemed like she didn't see me."

"How do you know she saw you then?" Pitch asked. "If she never specified the fact that she did?"

"I could just tell," Jack shrugged. "Also, she was singing along to Christmas music. Mortal-Shine would never sing to Christmas music!"

"Why were they playing Christmas music?"

"You're missing the point! The line was "Jack Frost nippin' at your nose'. THAT'S when she saw me, Pitch! Right after she said that line! It's like my name brought her back, just for a second."

"The memory of your name..." Pitch pondered, looking at the ground, deep in thought. "Maybe the name triggered a memory, which let her see you for a moment."

"OH! MY! GOSH!" Jack started to bounce up and down, squealing like a little boy. Pitch almost smiled. This happy Jack was a nice change of pace. "I GOT THE GREATEST IDEA IN THE HISTORY OF IDEAS EVER!"

"And what would that be?" Pitch asked, unable to keep the pinch of amusement out of his voice.

"We remind Shine! If my name was able to let her see me, maybe if we get her to do things that bring back memories, she'll be back to normal!"

Pitch had to admit, that was a pretty good plan. "And how do we do that, exactly?"

A mischievous grin split across Jack's face. "Who is the Guardian of Memories?"

Pitch's face fell. "Absolutely not."

"Oh come ON! Toothy can TOTALLY HELP!"

"Jack, do you not understand? You're evil, you're their enemy now," Pitch explained bluntly. "Besides, the Guardians have been out of business since the Dark Age started."

"But I'm sure if we can find her-"

"She will refuse to help," Pitch interrupted. "Besides, no one believes in the Guardians anymore. You know what the Man in the Moon did to protect them from disappearing. She's useless now."

"But-"

"There are no buts, Jack," Pitch scolded. "Even if we COULD get her to listen to us, there is nothing she can do to help. Toothana is out of business. For good."

Jack sighed, leaning against his staff. Pitch made good points. "Alright, there has to be someone who can communicate with Shine for us! Who can remind her of everything!"

Pitch thought for a moment. "Follow me. I'll show you something."

Sophie looked up when her name was called. She sat with two other people the temporary cell in the prison. Her mom stood beside a police officer. Sophie moaned and rose to her feet, following the woman out.

"I can't keep bailing you out like this, Sophie," her mother lectured as she drove. Sophie leaned her forehead against the window of the car, staring out at the city as it passed, admiring the riot's work. Broken glass bottles littered the sidewalks, and red paint splattered across buildings. There was the occasional smashed window and shattered street light, as well.

"I thought you approved of the riots, mom!"

"I approve of the protesting. I'm a peaceful protester, and you should be too."

"We're fighting for the same thing!" Sophie argued.

"But in different ways. My way is nicer, and I'm less likely to get arrested."

"But you have been," Sophie pointed out, and her mom sighed. Yes, peaceful protesters have been arrested a lot these days.

"And I thought I told you to get rid of this," her mom changed the subject, pinching the black strand of hair from her daughter's blonde head between her pointer finger and thumb.

"It symbolizes rebellion, mom."

"I think it shows your conformity to the Darkness."

"Well, I guess you see it the wrong way!"

"Just for that, I'm not telling you the surprise."

"SURPRISE?!" Sophie snapped to attention. "What is it?"

Her mom laughed at Sophie's child-like excitement. "Your brother's coming home."

Sophie cheered the entire drive home.

Pitch stood above a hole in the ground. Jack walked up next to him, snow crunching under his feet.

"I haven't been here in a while," Pitch said, looking down into the hole. His old lair. Jack couldn't help but be nervous. He looked up at the older spirit.

"After you," he winced at the shake in his voice. Pitch hopped into the hole without hesitation, disappearing into the dark. Jack stared down before falling in after him.

Both spirits landed perfectly on their feet with an echo. "Woah," Jack looked around at the giant lair.

"Nothing has changed," Pitch swiped at cobwebs, looking around. Small cages littered the ground, from when Pitch had kidnaped all of Tooth's Baby Teeth. A bridge led further deep into the cave. In the middle of the room was a giant globe that use to be blanketed with lights, kids who believed in the Guardians. It was completely dark now.

"That's a sad sight," Jack muttered, circling the black globe before gasping. "Come check this out!"

Pitch stood where Jack was to see the globe from the same angle. Just as Pitch had expected, there was one small, dim light, barely noticeable, sitting in the continent of America. In the city of Burgess.

"That is the person you can use to help," Pitch nodded to the small light. Jack noticed another light moving across the globe slowly, headed towards the other light.

"There's two?!" he gasped in awe and relief. But who could still believe in the Guardians after fifteen years?

Shine stood in front of a martial arts dummy, ready in her attack stance. Victoria watched with anticipation.

"HIYA! KYA!" Shine grunted, practicing her kicks over and over on the dummy. Her straight blonde hair bounced in the ponytail. It was a familiar feeling, attacking this dummy. It's like fighting is in her blood. Of course, it has been injected into her fake memories that she has taken martial arts since she was eight.

"TAKE! THAT! JACK!" she yelled with each kick before stopping in surprise. Victoria looked just as surprised.

"Did you just say Jack?" she asked.

"I think I did..." It came so naturally, it rolled off the tongue. It was as if it was normal for her to be attacking someone named Jack. Unbeknownst to either girl, her eyes flashed red before fading back into gray again. This time, a few more freckles were left spotting her nose.

It was dangerous to fly in a plane in the Dark Ages, yet he did it anyway. A young man with scruffy brown hair and a handsome goatee, and huge, curious brown eyes sat on the plane, looking out the window at the clouds. This wasn't the first time he has flown. Ever since he was ten, he had loved being in the sky.

In his hands was a giant pile of papers, bound together in a blue binder. The young man drummed his fingers anxiously on the binder, thinking about his dear sister, Sophie. They were so close, but once he left for college he hardly gets to see her.

Sophie was a rambunctious child. He chuckled at the thought of her, before glancing down at the binder. Sophie was referenced multiple times in these papers.

The man decided to pull out his reading glasses and open the binder once again, to the last page. And that was the last time I ever saw them, read the final sentence on the page. The man hated to end the paper like that. He tugged at the pen tucked behind his ear and clicked it rapidly, jabbing his tongue into the side of his cheek in thought. He's studied the pages many times, and knew there was more to the story beyond the last sentence. But he didn't know what to write.

The man raised his head when the intercom static turned on. "Attention passengers," the flight attendant announced through the intercom. "We're now approaching Burgess, Pennsylvania. We ask you to please fasten your seat belts, turn of all electrical devices, and return your trays into the upright position. Landing is in approximately five minutes. We thank you for joining us and hope to see you again soon."

For the guest who asked how often I update: I try to update every day. Sometimes it takes about two days, depending on how busy I am.

But, it is winter break (at least where I am) so it may take longer to update.