They had a small service for Sandy.

The funeral was a somber affair. They put candles on his Guardian plaque. The entire Pole was quiet, as every yeti and elf had stopped building toys to pay their respects.

The elves bobbed their heads. The jingle bells weren't cheerey now. Now they were just reminders, that Sandy was gone.

I refused to attend.

Instead I hid in the moon window.

Jack had wandered off earlier. Not that I cared in particular where he'd gone. There was a lot of stuff that didn't matter anymore.

On the bright side, I still cared about my cherubs. Or the one cherub I had left, after Pitch took the others. Just like he took Sandy.

Pelie came up to my shoulder, chittering.

I ignored him.

Pelie chittered again.

"I don't know." Came my harsh snap. Pelie made a sad noise. He floated down to sit on the wood of the window. Feeling annoyed now (also guilt, but that was an awful disgusting thing that should be outlawed) I sat up. "There's just...a lot to think about now, Pelie. There's no time for-"

Pelie huffed. With a shake of the head, he pointed down to the vigil.

Internally I grimaced. "They don't want me there."

Before Pelie could confirm my fears I teleported away.

==CR==

The sigil had ended some time ago.

Now I was by one of the large windows the globe room had. Jack was leaning against the window, his hoodie pulled over his face.

My own hair was left to it's wildness behind me. All the flying outside had made it a tangled mess. Not that I really cared, or anything. How my hair looked didn't matter because Sandy was dead.

I broke another arrow over my knee, tossing the remains on the growing pile of pieces.

When it spawned, I pulled it out and broke it again.

North came up behind me. He opened his mouth to ask a question as I broke the arrow over my knee. His eyes went wide, startled, before he backed away.

The pieces fell to the ground, dissolving away into nothing as it responded in the quiver.

"Are you alright?" He asked Jack.

Jack sighed. "I just, I wish I could've done something."

"Done something?" North repeated, surprise in his voice. "Jack, you stood up to Pitch. You saved us."

And I doomed us, by giving Pitch that arrow.

I should've known something was wrong when it didn't respawn.

I should've known Pitch was crafty.

I should've stopped him.

Because I didn't, know Sandy is dead.

"But Sandy wo-"

"Would be proud of what you did." North assured.

"It was my arrow that killed him." I grunted in barely withheld range, snapping another arrow over my knee. "This arrow- that keeps-coming-back!"

I threw the pieces in the direction of North's head. They poofed away before they could make contact.

"It was not your arrow." North assured. Another arrow appeared in my hand. "Pitch took your arrow- corrupted it. Like he do to Sandy's sand."

His words-while true- didn't help me. Instead I gripped the arrow tight. Not enough to break it, just barely.

"I don't know who you were in your past lives, but in this life you are Guardians." North told us. With the kind of sincerity that it had to have come from his belly.

"What if we were worse than Pitch?" I argued. "What then?"

North laughed, a small thing that made his cheeks go rosy like Santa's cheeks. "Doubt it."

"The bunny would say different." I growled in a low voice, squeezing again on the arrow.

"No. Bunnymund means well."

I turned away from him.

"But how can I know who I am, until I find out who I was?" Jack asked, having been staring out the window like an emo teen as I ranted like an...emo teen.

"You will. I feel it, in my belly." North told him.

'Did I not say he would...wow I'm a genius.'

Huffing in annoyance, I broke another arrow over my knee. The two of them walked to the globe. I stayed behind a minute.

Pelie floated down to my side.

My gaze narrowed on him. "Shut up." Turning tail, I walked after them.

When I saw the globe, I tensed up.

"Look how fast they're going out." Tooth gasped out, her voice saddened in dismay.

I flew up towards the globe. Running my hand over the lights, half of them vanished as I moved my hand along it. The lights that stayed were going dim anyway. "Pitch." I stated, a growl under my breath.

"It's fear." Jack realized as he flew up to the top of the globe. "He's tipped the balance."

Flying around the globe, I found where Lilac lived. The dot for her town still shined bright, not the slightest dim to it. The ones around it dropped like flies. That made me want to break an over my knee arrow again.

Or I can break it over Pitch's head.

That plan. I'm loving that plan.

Plan Over-My-Head is a Go.

Beneath me, watching the lights fade, stood North and Tooth. As the lights faded, the lights in their eyes did too. My wings ruffled behind my back as I watched the Guardians wilt.

"Hey, buck up ya sad-sacks." Bunnymund spoke up. He hopped up to face his fellow Guardians. "Come on! We can still turn this around!" He jumped on a control panel. "Easter is tomorrow and I need your help. I say we pull out all the stops and we get those little lights flickering again!"

Then I pushed him over the edge,.

He yelled in surprise.

I beamed at the Guardians, and Jack. "Suddenly, I am filled with hope for a better tomorrow!"

Jack laughed. North shook his head, also laughing. Tooth gave me a scolding glare that quickly became a grin.

He caught himself on the bannister below, swinging himself back up to the balcony. He glared at me.

"And now that hope is dead. Woe is me." I let myself spin upside down midair. My hair stretched down beneath me in a mess of curls.

"Well there's something I can do about that!" Bunnymund boasted. "Follow me, everyone! We're bringing back hope!"

==CR==

AN: Finally quit my job! Now I have time to finish my homework so I won't fail the semester. Go me!

Thanks to lifeasjesus for following