Rotg fanfic- Taken Over By Darkness- Chapter 3
They idly wondered how they were going to die- by bear, by panther or by hound.
But to their surprise, the dark monster, whom no longer held any connection with the boy they once knew, flicked his hand and the three giant nightmares vanished. He walked up to the four defeated Guardians, no longer grinning. A seriousness had come over his face. The look in his eyes akin to that of hatred, as he glared down at them.
Tooth lay shivering on the floor. Bunnymund had a paw around her quivering shoulders, trying to comfort her. His bitten leg trailing behind him, oozing black sand. North lay still, barely conscious. He'd fought until he could fight no more, and he was not the kind of person to give up for the sake of mere pain. He'd had to be beaten into submission, until he was physically unable to fight. Sandy was standing in front of the much larger members, in a final, feeble attempt to protect them.
The silence was suffocating. Any hope of being shown mercy, vanished when the dagger reappeared in the creature's hand.
He was actually going to do it, they realised. He had called off the nightmares, so that he might have the pleasure of finishing them off himself. They looked up at the dark puppet, who had the face of the boy they once loved... and they were afraid.
The horrifying beast spoke.
"You wanted to know, Sanderson, how those nightmares had become so strong." The look on it's face made Sandy dread the answer. "The reason these nightmares are so strong, is because they are My nightmares." His nightmares? But, this was Pitch speaking- how are these nightmares any different from his others nightmares.
"These nightmares are the culmination of three hundred years, alone. Three centuries of neglect." The Guardians were suddenly struck with a horrible thought- but they refused to accept it. It couldn't be... The dark boy continued. "Of having no-one, not one soul, to talk to- to reassure you. Three hundred years, with nothing, but a name, and a stick." It was true. It was him. This was Jack Frost.
What they had believed to be nothing but a mindless Pitch-puppet, was actually him. Jack Frost- bane of the Guardians.
"I struggled through every, single day. Each one filled with fruitless attempts to be recognised every 109,500 of them. 109,500 times I tried to be noticed and asked for a sign from the man up high and 109500 times was I denied."
No, this wasn't him, Bunny decided. This might be Jack Frost, but it wasn't the Jack they knew. Their Jack- the real Jack- wouldn't be so selfish, as to let those thoughts dictate his actions. Still, the truth of what he had lived through, hit them hard. The cold, hard truth. The reality of Jack Frost.
"I try to spend time with the few beings that could ever see me, and what do I get? Thrown out of the pole; avoided by fairies; not so much as a glimpse, of the famous Sandman." It was true. Every word of it; and the knowledge that the had brought this pain, and misery, needlessly, upon their youngest member, destroyed them.
"...and Bunny." the furious Frost, stopped. Glaring down at the broken rabbit. Bunny flattened his huge ears against his head, as he braced himself for the following words.
"You know, exactly, what you have done... and I can remember, every, single, word of it."
He didn't shout, but that somehow made it all the more terrible. Bunny seemed to shrink, the hardened warrior broken, inside and out.
Satisfied, Frost turned to address the others.
"How does it feel, to be brought down, low? To feel the same pain, I went through, every, single, day, of my immortal life? To be lost, and afraid, and abandoned by everyone." With a last, desperate thought, Sandy turned, to find hatch where the moon occasionally shone, only to find it empty, devoid of all light. Jack Frost, laughed.
"Yes, go on, Sandy. Pray to your precious, Man in the Moon. Don't be surprised when he doesn't answer." Sandy, ignoring the malice in those words, prayed... Nothing. His last hope gone, Sandy collapsed on the floor. It was over. Pitch had won.
"You see!" The boy sneered. "You haven't got a hope in the world."
"There's always hope." Bunny shot back, weakly, doubting the words himself. A quick, amused laugh bounced round the room.
"You don't even believe it yourself, so you might as well just shut up. You're nothing, but a stupid kanga-" He stopped and blinked, confused. Bunny noticed, he hadn't meant to say that. What had he been about to say? Kangaroo! That was always Jack's- the old Jack's- nickname for him. Could it be possible, just possible? That their Jack was still in there?
...and there it was- a spark of hope. And Bunnymund clung to it.
"What was that?" He coaxed. "Kangaroo?" he completed. "That's right! That's what you always called me, remember, Frostbite!" He said, using his nickname for the younger spirit. A curious expression came over the spirit's face. Confusion- but wait... maybe... was it possible, that he saw a flicker of recognition there, too. He pushed on.
"Remember in Jamie's room, when you set that ruddy dog on me?" No doubt about it, at the word "Jamie", there had definitely been some sort of response. He continued, hope growing with every second.
"Remember the day before Easter, when Sophie broke in, and you were the only one who knew how to deal with her?" Tooth, as the Guardian of memories, immediately grasped the idea.
"Remember Emma, your sister, you told me about." That had an impact. He stumbled backwards, as though struck. Tooth continued, in her small, terrified voice.
"You saved her, Jack. You saved her- just like you saved us." Sandy created little sand pictures above his head- visions of dinosaurs and dolphins, fish and snowballs- as he recalled that magical night, when he had chosen to be a Guardian. The message was clear- you chose to be a Guardian, Jack, and only you know why.
The darkness seemed to be faded, struggling to find a way to cling onto it's host.
"But... three hundred years... alone..." He murmured.
"I know," Bunny said, voice filled with self loathing, " and it wasn't right, what we did. We shouldn'ta treated ya that way, and I'm sorry!" The room seemed to freeze.
"I'm sorry." Bunny repeated, as Tooth's voice piped up again.
"Please..." she pleaded, shuddering with silent sobs, absolutely terrified that he might turn on her. "I want you back, Jack... I'm scared." Those two words had finally done it.
He remembered.
He remembered, one year ago, when his first believer had looked up at him, and said those very words.
He remembered, how, three hundred years ago, his sister had done the exact same, from across the frozen lake.
Games. Hopscotch. Falling. Scared. Waking. Moon. Staff. Flying. Lonely. Snowballs. Funtimes. Kidnap. Music. Sleigh. Palace. Teeth. Contest. Abbie. Fighting. Memorial. Easter. Sophie. Darkness. Teeth. Guilt. Alone. Antartica. Broken. Falling. Remembering. Mending. Jamie. Belief. Courage. Sand. Return. Snowballs. Victory...
... and an Oath.
He blinked once. Twice... and when he reopened his eyes, they were a vivid blue.
Authors note: sorry forgot to say at the end of the last chapter yes this story is complete but I've just not posted it all yet I'm so sorry if I confused anyone (sorry guest) but I will post a new chapter every day and to make up for the confusion and everything Ill post two tommorow okay^^ sorry again I didn't mean to confuse anyone.