The Boogeyman

Centuries seemed to come and go like an ephemeral kiss. Before I knew it, it was already the year 1000. During this time, I met Father Time and Mother Goose, like North said I would. They resided in an unknown town called Santoff Claussen. Father Time was a wise old wizard, but was as cryptic as Manny. Mother Goose was a kind woman who spent her time writing little stories that I learned as a child. Both were old friends of the Guardians, though they were not Guardians themselves.

Between my duties, I visited my friends regularly. Or at least, I tried to. Sandy's gift came in handy, letting me know what time it was and how long it had been since I had seen them. The more time I spent with each of the spirits, the more they rubbed off on me. By that, I mean that I began using contractions warily. It was a lot easier and made speaking a breeze. I didn't know why I hadn't thought of it before!

North allowed me to finish up a few toys three days before Christmas. Then, on that night, he took me in his sleigh and had me help him out. He used snow globes as portals to get him from point A to point B. It was a blast to have the day off to be another holiday!

Bunny often took me into his Warren to let me paint eggs with him. Before the eggs reached the surface, they had little legs to help them walk around! His Warren was the epitome of springtime: green grass, colorful butterflies, beautiful flowers. He even had rivers of paint! Some of the tulips produced colors that assisted in coloring the eggs, too. I really enjoyed spending time with Bunny, and I was glad to see that he enjoyed spending time with me, too.

When it came to Tooth and Sandy, I couldn't spend as much time with them. There wasn't much I could do to help Sandy with spreading dreams. And though I flew fast, Tooth flew even faster than I could keep up with. It was hard to help collect teeth for her. Both Sandy and Tooth were busier than North and Bunny combined, it seemed. They didn't just have to work one night a year; they, like me, worked every single day. We had a lot in common in the fact that the three of us hardly caught a break, it seemed.

Still, I wasn't complaining. I had friends now, people to talk to, people who cared for me as much as I cared for them. I glided through the years on a cloud, without a care in the world. With North's mirror, I was able to keep up with the romances I enjoyed the most without having to leave my current location. Whenever I visited Bunny, he always had chocolate for me to eat and even put some in the box he had given me so that I could take them on the road. When I found time, I liked to sit down and relive my memories. Unlike the first time, the next time I opened the box the memories were slower and more vivid. It was an irreplaceable gift, indeed.

My life was going so great that I almost forgot that there must be balance in the world. With all this light and goodness, there was bound to be evil spirits. The first time I met one was in the year 1000.

It was night. The moon was high in the sky. I was in the unnamed land where "corn" grew. Two of the copper-skinned people walked side-by-side. The woman knew that she loved him when he kissed her in the forest. I hid behind a tree, watching with a smile. After the kiss ended, they continued their walk back home before wild creatures could come. I sighed and packed away their Feelings in my pouch. A name appeared in my mind and I set off to go. A voice stopped me before I could.

"Excuse me," he said. "You wouldn't happen to be Cupid, would you?"

I turned to my right to see a man emerge from the shadows. His skin was an ash-gray; his eyes were a piercing yellow, like a wolf's. He wore a black robe. His hair was slicked back, matching his robe in color. Though his appearance should have made me think twice, I was just excited to meet someone new. Because of his skin and eye-color, I knew he wasn't human. That meant he was a spirit like me! Why hadn't the others told me about this one? Was he a newborn?

I jumped forward and landed in front of him, startling the man. I grabbed his hands and shook rapidly. "Hello, sir! Why, yes! I'm Cupid, keeper of Valentine's Day. It's so nice to meet you. What's your name? What do you do? Have you been just born? Or have you been around?" I let go of his hands quickly. "Oh, goodness, I'm sorry. I must seem so pushy. I-I'm just so happy to meet another immortal."

The man laughed, shaking his head as my cheeks flushed. As his chuckles died down, he took my hand in his, leaned down, and kissed it like a gentleman. It was only then when his hand held mine that I realized just how odd his skin color was. "It is very nice to meet you, dear Cupid. My name is Pitch Black. Though, you probably know me as the Boogeyman."

My eyes widened. The Boogeyman? I had nearly forgotten about him. I certainly didn't expect him to be real. Though just the name Boogeyman gave me chills, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and give him a chance first. Even with Manny's stern voice warning me to get out of there and stay away from him. I could barely focus on what the Man in the Moon was saying. I trusted Manny with all my heart, but I wanted to make my own decisions.

"The Boogeyman? Really?" I asked tilting my head. "That sounds interesting, Pitch. You scare children in the night, correct?" I giggled behind my hand.

Pitch Black smiled softly. "Not just that," he said, beginning to circle me. "I also bring nightmares. I do love to bring fear, especially to children."

My fingers adjusted around my bow. "That's not very nice," I mumbled. "But – I suppose it's just in your nature. Right? You were born that way."

He looked down at me curiously. "I suppose I never thought of it that way," he said. "You have a peculiar way of thinking, Cupid. I quite like that." Using one finger, he lifted my head upward to get a good look at my face in the moonlight. "You are a very beautiful woman, Cupid. Do you know this?"

My eyes widened and I shifted. "I, um, well… Um…Thank you, Pitch." I wasn't sure what to say.

Suddenly Manny called down to us. He threatened that if Pitch did not leave me alone, he would call the Guardians.

I looked from Manny to Pitch. "W-what's wrong, Manny? Pitch isn't hurting me. He's just-"

"No, no," Pitch said, raising his hands in defense. He glided back into the darkness of the forest. "It seems our time together has been cut short. For now. I shall see you another time, my dear angel."

I swallowed hard and touched my cheek which felt warm compared to my fingertips. Manny sighed, bringing my attention to him. He wearily said that I should get back to my work. And so I did.

After that encounter, I met up with Bunny in his Warren. We sat back-to-back as we painted eggs together. I told him about Pitch and how odd Manny was acting toward the man who had done me no harm, but Bunny acted as oddly as Manny did. He warned me never to speak to Pitch. Pitch was evil. He couldn't be trusted; he was only trying to trick me. I didn't tell him so, but I didn't want to believe Bunny. I wanted to believe that the Boogeyman may be good. Whatever the reason was that the Guardians didn't like him…it had to a misunderstanding.

Right?

I didn't see Pitch again for 500 years. It was the early winter of 1572. I sat in the courtyard of a castle, watching a princess and her prince have a picnic under the moonlight. It was incredibly romantic. However that beautiful moment was interrupted by whispers in the dark. Bunny's voice called my name, attracting my attention to the forests beyond the castle walls. He sounded like he was in pain. I flew over the stone wall and ventured into the forest.

I followed his voice until I found a clearing. Once I stepped into the middle of it, the voice stopped. I searched around, blinking. "Bunny?" I called. "Is that you? Are you there?"

It was not. From out of the shadows, Pitch Black emerged. His expression was one of fake relief, as if he hadn't been the one calling for me. "Oh! Cupid, there you are," he said.

"Pitch…" I said, studying him warily. "What are you doing here?"

"Why, I'm here for you, dear girl," he said approaching me. Pitch held my arms and studied me. "I've missed you all these years, you know," he whispered, stroking down my pink hair.

I blushed and smiled awkwardly. "I, um, missed you, too, Pitch," I lied. Honestly I hadn't given him much more than a passing thought. His grip tightened and I almost winced.

"May I speak with you, Angel?" he asked quietly. "I've been looking for you for so long." The man brushed my hair behind my ears. I didn't know Pitch well at all, so it was weird to stand there and have him touch me as if we were such close friends.

"Um, ask away, Pitch," I said, gently pushing his hands away. He looked down at me and smiled, then circled around me. Bunny's warning to stay away from Pitch echoed in my mind. Suddenly, I didn't want to be there anymore.

Without warning, Pitch grabbed my arms and pulled my back against his chest. I took in a sharp breath. Fear and anticipation ran through me. I felt his breath on my ear as he whispered, "My, Cupid, I think I do like you indeed. That is why I came to you. I need your help, love."

I trembled as his hands slid down my arm and wrapped around my waist. The other hand tightened on my bicep. "With what?" I squeaked. "Also, could you please let me go?" I attempted to pull from his grasp, but he held me closer.

"I don't think I will, dear Cupid," he hissed in my ear. "Not until you hear my proposal."

"'Proposal'?" I asked, trying to get him to let me go.

Pitch spun me around to face him. I was slammed against a tree and pinned there. Wincing, I noticed that he seemed taller than he had before. The shadows started closing in; his eyes grew brighter; his devious grin grew wider. "I want you to join my side," he said. "Stand by me and fight against the Guardians."

My heart pounded against my chest. "W-why would I do that?" I asked. "The Guardians are my friends."

"You think so?" he chuckled. His grip loosened. "You honestly think that the Guardians are your friends?"

He released me and stepped away, gliding away to give me distance. I stepped after him. "Of course I do," I said. "They are."

"You poor, poor girl," Pitch cooed, turning to me. "The Guardians do not care for anyone other than the Guardians and mortal children. Why, to the rest of the immortals, we are nothing to them."

My fists clenched and I narrowed my eyes at him. How dare he try to convince me of that? "You're wrong, Pitch," I growled. "The Guardians love me like I love them. They're my friends."

"Then why, pray tell, did they ignore you for that dreadful first century of your life?" I went silent. "They only started talking to you in the first place because the Man in the Moon told them to. I bet that if you weren't as beautiful as you are, or if you weren't the keeper of a holiday, they would toss you aside and leave you behind to be forgotten."

I began to tremble. I didn't like what he was saying. He was stating the things out loud that had brought me paranoia in my time of lows.

"And real friends wouldn't lie to you," he said quietly, approaching me. My red eyes bore into his intensely. "Real friends would tell you the truth: that you will never be a Guardian. That you will never be like them. Guardians protect children, live for children. What do you do? You barely give children a sideways glance."

I shook my head. "No," I whispered, "I do love children. I…I could be a Guardian."

"Oh, please," he scoffed suddenly in front of me. "How could you be a Guardian without believers?"

I gasped and took a step back, his words wounding me deeply. Suddenly he disappeared into the shadows. His voice was all around me, in my head.

"That's another thing," he pointed out. "If the Guardians really were your friends, why haven't they tried to get you believers yet? If they really loved you, if they really were your friends, they would have done all they could to make sure that you were believed in."

I covered my ears. I wanted him to stop! I didn't want to hear these lies. If I listened to him, he might convince me. The Guardians were all I had. I didn't want to believe that it was all a lie. "Stop it, Pitch!" I shouted. "Please! Enough!"

Suddenly his arms wrapped around me from behind. "There, there, Angel," he whispered soothingly. "Calm down. I'm sorry you had to find out this way, but it is the truth. That is why you must join me. Unlike the Guardians, I will be there for you. And I will get you believers."

All the world went silent. Believers. Humans who could see me. If I helped Pitch, humans would see me. Would know I existed. I would be loved. I wouldn't just have to wait for the Guardians to not be busy to talk to me. I could interact with people.

"Help me take down the Guardians and spread fear to the world. And I will get you all that you have ever desired."

I opened my mouth to speak.

"Pitch!"

Suddenly Bunny appeared from a hole in the ground and attacked Pitch with his boomerangs. The Boogeyman evaded Bunny's attacks skillfully until he was backed into the forest's edge. His yellow eyes looked around at the danger, and then he growled.

"This isn't the last you've heard from me, Rabbit!" he vowed and sank into the darkness.

The tension in the air lifted, leaving me and Bunny panting and shaking. I collapsed to the ground, clutching myself. Regret washed over me like a wave of black, murky water.

After making sure Pitch was really gone, Bunny hopped over to me quickly. He held my shoulders and looked down at me concernedly. "Cupid. Cupid, are you all right? Did he hurt you?"

I failed to swallow down the knot in my throat. I was too shaken to respond immediately. Biting my lip, I leaned into Bunny's chest, wrapping my arms around him tightly. "Bunny…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I almost believed him, I- I didn't…I could have-"

The Pooka pulled me closer to him and stroked my hair. "I know…I know… It's all right now, love." He paused a moment to look up to the moon before deciding. "Come on. Let's get to the Pole." He helped me stand on my feet, and then tapped the ground beneath us. He released me just in time for me to go sliding down the tunnel. The Pooka was sprinting after me…

…Pitch Black, it turned out, was the whole reason Manny created the Guardians. Pitch was once a proud general of the universe, but then creatures called Fearlings overtook him. They drove him mad, turned him into a monster that he wasn't. Pitch was determined to spread fear and darkness across the universe. So, Manny brought about the Guardians to fight his fear. Pitch and his Fearlings were extremely dangerous. I was lucky that Pitch didn't try to physically hurt me. The Guardians defeated him many centuries ago, but now it seemed that he was back again to wreak terror.

I sat by the fireplace in the North Pole, wrapped in a red blanket, provided by the elves. They also gave me a mug of hot chocolate. I thanked them, but the small men didn't leave. Instead, they curled up by my feet, hugging my calves. I thought it a little creepy, but I didn't tell them so. Bunny sat by my side, allowing me to lean against him. North and Sandy stood before us while Tooth flittered about worriedly. The Guardians finished telling me the story of Pitch Black and now were in a heated argument of what to do.

Bunny wanted to immediately go after Pitch and make him pay for attacking me, but North said that that wouldn't be wise. While he wanted revenge on Pitch as well, the Guardians' job was to protect the children of the world. They could not waste time and search the globe to find Pitch unless he was out to hurt the children.

That's when I had to speak up. The entire time, I hadn't spoken; I was still too shaken. But now that I knew that they would only stop Pitch for the sake of children, I had to let them know. "I think that you should go after Pitch. Now." All attention turned my way. I set down the warm mug and rubbed my tired eyes. "Pitch came to me because he wanted my alliance. He wanted me to help defeat you all so that he could spread fear around the world. He tried to convince me by saying that – you all weren't really my friends. And that he would get me believers."

I shook my head. "Honestly, I almost believed him," I admitted, sniffling. Bunny wrapped his arm around me, listening intently. "I shouldn't have. I'm sorry. If Bunnymund hadn't come, I…I don't know what I would have done."

The Guardians exchanged a cautious glance. I immediately regretted revealing that last part. Did they not trust me anymore? Did they think that I was easily swayed and thus I was dangerous?

But then Tooth spoke up. She fluttered down to kneel in front of me and take my hand. "Cupid, I'm sorry this happened to you," she said. "We understand how convincing Pitch can sound. It wasn't your fault; I can't imagine what he told you. Whatever it was, it was just a lie. We love you and you are very dear to us." My eyes met her beautiful shining violet ones. She smiled softly, squeezing my hand, and then looked up to our friends. "Which is why we are going after Pitch. We will stop him, no matter what it takes."

Bunny smirked and stood. "Good idea, Tooth," he said. "It's personal now."

"I will get my swords," North proclaimed. "Everyone, get to the sleigh. Manny, I hope you do not mind that we are taking matters into our own hands once more."

Manny agreed that it was the right thing to do.

I stood, looking at each of them expectantly. "Do not worry, Cupid," North said. "We will take care of Pitch. You go on about your duties and leave the Boogeyman to us."

Sandy touched my shoulder. Tooth hugged me. North nodded. And Bunny saluted. None of them said what I wanted them to. The Big Four turned and left the room. "Bunny!" I called after him, hurrying over to the Pooka. He stopped in his tracks and turned to me. "Wait; please don't leave me behind like this. Please. What can I do? I want to help fight Pitch, too!"

I couldn't let Pitch get away with hurting me like that. He needed to pay for what he'd done to me, and I wanted to be the one to do it. But Bunnymund grew serious and grabbed my shoulders, looking me dead in the eye. His eyes which were as green as the leaves in summer bore into my ruby-red ones. "Now listen here, mate," he said lowly, "I don't wanna see you hurt again. I'll open a portal to my Warren. Promise me that you won't come out until I say it's okay."

"But, Bunny, even if you don't let me go, I still have a job to do," I reasoned. "I won't let Pitch get me again; I'll be safe."

"No. I can't take the risk of you coming, or staying out in public," he said, shaking his head. "Please. Just do this for me?" The rabbit man took me into his arms once again. His fur was warm and unbelievably soft. In Aster's arms, I felt safe, like no Fearling of Pitch's could ever hurt me. I knew that Bunnymund only wanted me safe. Who was I to deny him the comfort? He was the one who was about to have the fight of his life, not me.

I sighed. "Just…be careful," I whispered into his chest. "We're immortal, but still don't push yourself too hard."

Bunny tensed a moment. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself and sighed deeply. "No problem, Lovey." He kissed the top of my head, and then held me at arm's length. Bunny had never kissed me before. Though I was confused, I didn't say anything about it. "I'll see you soon." Tapping his foot twice, he took a step back and a portal appeared between us on the floor. I sighed deeply, gave him one last glance, and jumped in.