Okay, so I realize a lot of you may be confused as to who a lot of the people in this story are. I did bring all of Jack's village, however most of the story will be centered around those introduced in the first chapter, in other words his family and closest friends. Others (Such as Victoria and John from the last chapter) will be mentioned, however, as I see fit. If this confuses anyone I'm really sorry but I think after a few chapters it'll start making more sense. Pretty much if anyone who wasn't introduced comes in, I will state who they are and what their relationship to Jack was. I thought I'd made it fairly clear who Victoria was, but I had a few people ask me. Sorry for the confusion.
Now that that's over with, enjoy the new chapter!
FIERY GYPSY VIOLIN MUSIC as we move through clouds to reveal
a MASSIVE ICE CANYON, and just around a bend, the incredible
hidden fortress of NORTH, aka SANTA CLAUS.
"He is real!" one girl gasped.
"I knew it." Thomas said, grinning.
"Wow..." his brother breathed.
INT. NORTH'S WORKSHOP - DUSK
We glimpse a familiar-looking RED JACKET and CAP with white
trim on a coat hanger just as a pair of tongs SLAM a block of
ice onto a stone work table-
IN QUICK CUTS: A CHAINSAW shears the block in half, spraying
ice. North lifts up the chainsaw revealing a massive tatoo
on his arm, the word NAUGHTY clearly visible.
Three ELVES huddle in a doorway around a plate of cookies,
each licking their own tasty morsel.
A couple of kids giggled, but Renee was sharing a look with the other parents. Santa Claus had tattoos!?
NORTH (O.S.)
Still waiting for cookies!
As North crosses the background, the elves lower the cookies
from their mouths, their faces frozen in fear.
The elves duck out of the way as North launches himself
across the floor on his rolling chair - CLOSE as his huge
HAND gropes furiously among his WORK TOOLS, finally grabbing
a miniature HAMMER. As North's humming along with his music,
delicately CHISELING into the ice, we see a second arm sleeve
tattoo, the word NICE clearly visible-
His INTENSE BLUE EYE magnified in a JEWELER'S EYEPIECE -
A delicate SCULPTING TOOL cuts fine details into the ice-
His hands place the finished piece on a curving ICE TRACK: An
ice LOCOMOTIVE. It belches ice vapor and chugs down the
track, picking up speed-
The Colonial kids all watch in wonder. There was a... Thing! Of ice! That moved on it's own!
NORTH
Yes!
North's hand grabs a cookie from a plate held up by the two Elves.
One of the elves gives his cohort a look and points to the
plate as it chews with a mouth full of food, to which it then
unfurls its tongue and lets the half eaten morsels spill out
onto the plate.
"EW!" Rose exclaimed, covering her eyes. The women all looked ready to gag, and the men were trying not to join them.
"That's why I never eat the cookies." Emma said, chuckling.
NORTH
Ah, finally!
He takes a bite and leans toward the ice track.
He chuckles as the train hits a loop, and launches off a ramp into midair
- then WINGS unfold - JET ENGINES sprout and ignite and the
train lifts off the track-
"I'll admit, that's pretty cool." Lucas said, chuckling.
"I'll agree with you there." Renee agreed with her ex husband.
Suddenly, the DOOR is thrown open by one of North's concerned
YETIS, sending the flying ice locomotive skidding across the
floor in pieces.
"NO!" every kid exclaimed, covering their eyes.
YETI
Arghbal...
NORTH
Ach!
The yeti cries out covering his mouth in shame. North cries
out, devastated. The yeti, equally emotional, lets out
another whimper. North looks down at the broken toy and
takes a moment to collect himself.
NORTH
How many times have I told you to
knock?
YETI
Warga blarghgha!
NORTH
What...? The Globe?
"The what?" James Overland asked.
"The Globe. It's a model of the world, and lights cover it. Each light represents a child who believes. I'm the one who protects that belief, belief in things that make life important." Emma said.
"What things?" Thomas asked. It sounded like his friend grew up to be someone really important.
"Hope, Wonder, Dreams, Memories, and Fun. Bunny is the Guardian of Hope, North is the Guardian of Wonder, Sandy is the Guardian of Dreams, Tooth is the Guardian of Memories, and Jack Frost is the Guardian of Fun." Emma replied.
"Fitting." her mother said, smiling as she remembered her mischievous firstborn.
North leaps up - draws a HUGE SCIMITAR from its sheath and heads out-
INT. NORTH'S GLOBE ROOM - CONTINUOUS
A sea of tiny BELLS on the heads of panicking elves part as
North's huge boots stomp through.
NORTH
Shoo with your pointy heads. Why
are you always under boot?
He pushes his way past a couple of his YETI WORKERS -
they're looking up in fear at - Avid GLOBE OF BELIEF
Covered with LIGHTS blanketing the continents. But North
notices that all at once, HUNDREDS OF LIGHTS suddenly go out.
"Ooh, I was so mad when I felt that. He tampered with the Globe so it looked like belief was fading. I nearly panicked until I realized that it was tampered. Then I almost hunted our favorite Boogeyman down myself. Manny told me not to... Said that it was Jack who needed to do it... I went and holed up here for that couple of days, watching everything from here." Emma said.
"Why didn't you help?" Anne asked. Emma had to hide a wince.
"Jack and I... Well, we didn't see each other for three hundred years. I'll explain later." she said, gesturing to the movie.
NORTH
What is this?
Now MORE LIGHTS, in GREATER NUMBERS, as if something is
snuffing them out by the thousands. North's concern grows.
NORTH
(to Yeti)
Have you checked the axis? Is
rotation balanced?
YETI
(shrugs shoulders)
Wardle bawddrel-
Before the Yeti can finish, a WIND whips up from out of
nowhere - North stares in outrage as a blanket of SWIRLING
BLACK SAND, crawls over the lights, and shrouds the ENTIRE
GLOBE in inky DARKNESS-
The kids all ducked or raced to their parents. Anne huddled in her sister's lap, but the eight year old was as scared as she was. Emma walked over and pulled her cousins into her arms. Soon she was surrounded by the kids who she had played and grown up with, who were now all about half her age.
"Oh my God." Poppy whispered, covering her mouth. Her little sister had been involved in all this?
She was having a serious talk with Pippa later.
The elves scurry in a panic, then all at once the BLACK SAND
WHOOSHES UP off the Globe - rushes up through the ceiling as
the remaining sand bursts into a puff of smoke and dissipates
into the air -
As the wind dies, the scattered pieces of debris settle to
the ground, and the globes lights come back on, North whirls
to see a HUGE SHADOW flash across the floors and curving
walls of his fortress. It quickly disappears, leaving
nothing but the distant ECHO of...LAUGHTER?
North is frozen, looking up into the darkness, gravely:
NORTH
Can it be?
(then calls off)
Dingle!
A group of elves step forward gleefully pointing to
themselves, as if they're all "Dingle". The excitement
quickly turns to confusion.
NORTH
Make preparations! We are going to
have company.
"Who was that?" Emily gasped.
"That was Pitch Black." Emma replied gravely.
North reaches out for a large EMERGENCY LEVER, TWISTS and
PRESSES IT-Avid Globe pulses with ENERGY, which lights up and ZOOMS UP
the AXIS SHAFT toward the roof-
EXT. NORTH POLE - CONTINUOUS
From the tallest spire of North's fortress, NORTHERN LIGHT
ENERGY radiates outward: for the first time in decades, the
GUARDIANS' CALL GOES OUT!
"This is big, isn't it?" Samantha asked. Emma nodded.
"You have no idea."