A/N: Hi. While hiatus may be over, it is summer and that means road trips! So that's why it took so long to update. Anyway, please read, enjoy, and review!
As Sandy flew his plane through the dusky sky, Joy reflected on her new, but less prominent, memories.
Leslie, Joy thought. She was my first friend in the new neighborhood. And Charles! He was my first crush. She glanced at Jack and smiled, recalling their kiss and being glad she had met him. Then she returned to her memories, searching for one in particular. Why the sugar?
Suddenly, she remembered. It was her mother's sure fire way to cheer them up.
"A little sugar," her mother had told her, "can go a long way." Joy had taken this advice to heart. After the Dark Times, whenever someone needed cheering up she would make them something sweet... and put in a little extra sugar.
Another memory surfaced. It had always been easy for Joy to tell when other people were upset, but after the Dark Times she had made a special effort to understand and empathize with people.
Jack let her have her space while she was lost in her new memories. He understood the influx of information was overwhelming. At least she wasn't facing the end of the world when she got her's back.
"So Sandy, are we going to get the others or do you think we can handle them on our own?" Sandy didn't even grace Jack with an imaged response and instead gave him the look.
"Of course I remember what happened last time! But hey, we make a pretty good team. And we have Joy." Sand seemed to ponder this before resolutely shaking his head and forming a skull and crossbones.
"Yeah," Jack agreed. "It would be pretty dangerous." They were silent for a moment and then Jack asked quietly, "What do you think that smoke was?" Sandy shrugged and shook his head, but the meaning was clear; whatever it was, it was bad.
"Maybe it's Despair's version of nightmare sand."
"His name is Derek," Joy said from the back of the plane.
"Right. How do you feel?" Joy smiled.
"Really good. Everything's... fitting into place."
Jack nodded in understanding. He opened his mouth to say something when the plane was suddenly broadsided. Black sand tore it's way through the gold. Sandy tried his best to keep the plane to keep the plane together, but it disintigrated under the onslaught. The three Guardians tumbled through the air for a moment until the Nightmare's snatched them up.
"Hey!" Jack yelled at one that grabbed his staff in it's jaws. "Give that back!" The Nightmare just whinnied and stormed away. Sandy desperately tried to fight them off with his sand whips and Joy tried the same thing with a sugar sword, but there were too many. Soon Sandy and Jack were bound in black sand and Joy was next.
Joy had always been good with horses and her family had owned some before they moved. So instead of being intimidated, she floated gently towards a Nightmare and presented it with a sugar cube. The horse sniffed the treat suspiciously before nibbling it. There was an immediate change. It nuzzled Joy's hand, looking for more. She patted it warmly on the nose and offered it another. It tossed it's head in pleasure. Everyone, including the other Nightmares, was staring at the two of them in confusion.
"No one appreciates you, do they?" Joy cooed. The horse shook it's head. "Oh, but you do your job so well. Look! You captured three Guardians! Pitch will be so proud." Jack's mouth was hanging open.
"Joy. That thing is a Nightmare."
"Oh, he's nothing but a big softie, aren't you Blackie?" He whinnied in pleasure as Joy tickled his chin. Jack snorted.
"Blackie?" he asked. Joy shot him a playful glare.
"Yes. It was the name of my first horse. Listen," she said turning back to Blackie. "Could you please untie my friends?" She continued quickly when the horse started to protest. "It's just that i's horribly uncomfortable. We'll still come with you of course." Blackie regarded her before letting out a quick neigh to the others. Jack and Sandy were quickly untied.
"Uh, we're not?" Jack whispered to Joy once he was free. Sandy looked concerned too.
"You're the one who wanted to find out where Pitch and Derek were," she replied. "This is the quickest way."
"What do you think Sandy?" Jack asked. Sandy looked between the two young Guardians. Joy was obviously hoping to go and find her brother, and who could blame her? Jack was looking determined, eager to go face this new foe. Sandy sighed inwardly. He couldn't leave them to face Pitch alone. Despite them believing they were powerful enough, they were still very inexperienced. So Sandy nodded and punched his hand with grim determination. Jack couldn't hide a mischievous grin.
"Let's go then."
Joy helped make the journey easier by giving a sugar cube to both Jack and Sandy for them to give to a Nightmare of their own. The three Guardians found it quite an experience to ride a Nightmare.
"Joy!" Jack cried as they flew along. "You will never cease to surprise me." Joy laughed at his comment, but then started to cough... violently. Jack couldn't help but notice that with each cough came a small plume of smoke. He steered his horse (which he had named Dark Lightning), over to her.
"Are you alright?" he asked. She had finally stopped coughing and gave him a smile.
"I'm fine. Must be left over from earlier." Jack wasn't so sure, but figured she would tell him if things were getting out of hand. Suddenly, the Nightmares took a nose dive toward a dark hole. It looked impossibly small and Jack was nervous that they wouldn't fit. Joy actually covered her eyes. However they all got through safely.
It was pitch black down there. The only light came from the flaming eyes of the Nightmares and a comforting glow from Sandy. He looked back at the two of them to make sure they were okay. He had to admit, he was getting excited. Here was his chance to make sure that Pitch didn't harm anyone ever again. As he glanced at the other two, he was surprised to see Jack looking a bit worried, but then he saw Joy. She was looking around the tunnel in fascination, but her skin was pale and the dark streaks in her hair were getting thicker.
Before he could voice these concerns, they galloped into a large chamber. The ceiling wasn't visible it was so high. Fear permeated the room. All around them, Fearlings mined away at the walls, harvesting black sand and lead from the walls. Hallways sprouted off in every single direction. A loud, well known shout came from one of them.
"Come!" The Nightmares sped towards the hallway, but before they reached the end Joy tucked and rolled, Jack hopped off, and Sandy floated towards the ceiling. Blackie gave Joy a questioning look, but she just waved him on. Slowly, the three of them crept to the corner and peered into the room.
It was a throne room. In the center stood a tall obsidian throne. Pitch sat atop it, glaring down at his Nightmares. To the side of him stood a rather melancholy looking boy who was dwarfed by the size of the chair. His dismal mask of a face would be broken every few seconds when he would wince.
"Derek," Joy whispered and then tried her hardest to restrain a cough.
"Well," Pitch demanded. "Where are they?" One of them snorted, but was interrupted by Blackie. After Blackie quieted down, Pitch growled and slouched lower in his chair.
"Got away you say. Hm... Keep searching for them. The girl should be dead by now. If you find her, finish her." Derek had to close both eyes instead of just wincing, and pain was evident on his face. "As for the boy," Pitch continued menacingly, "bring him straight to me. Now go." The Nightmares turned and ran right past the three of them and up to the surface. Blackie stopped by Joy and nuzzled her cheek.
"Thank you," she said breathlessly and gave him a sugar cube. With a final toss of his head, he left. Jack was still peering intently around the corner. Pitch was now off of his throne and pacing around.
"Why didn't you get rid of the boy when you had the chance? Or at least stay long enough to make sure the girl was done for?" Pitch snapped at Derek.
"I'm not nearly as powerful as you," Derek muttered towards the floor. "I couldn't hold Jack off long enough to make sure Joy was taken care of and I didn't have enough energy to even try and deal with Jack." He paused before continuing. "I don't like him." Jack looked slightly offended at this and Joy had to suppress a giggle... and another cough.
"We have only two weeks to finish the preparations. If everything is not ready by then it will be disastrous. Do you understand?" Pitch demanded.
"Yes Pitch."
"Good. As soon as you're well enough, get out there and finished what you started." Derek nodded once, turned into a plume of smoke, and dove through a door on the other side of the chamber. Now was their chance. Jack smiled encouragingly at his friends and held up three fingers. Joy readied her sword and Sandy got his whips out.
Three... Two... O-
Joy couldn't hold it back any longer. She coughed. Loudly. Jacks eyes widened in horror and he flung himself into the room only to find himself face to face with his old enemy.
"Well now. This is a pleasant surprise." Jack launched a bolt of ice at Pitch with a fierce scream. Pitch simply blocked it with the palm of his hand.
"Well, you know," Jack replied cheekily. "I aim to please," and threw a snowball at the Boogeyman's face. Jack laughed at Pitch's expression as he wiped it off.
"That's getting really old, Frost."
"Not as old as you!" Jack called from the ceiling. Joy would've joined the fight, but now she was hack-laughing too hard to be of any use. Sandy on the other hand leaped right in. A sand whip tightened itself around Pitch's middle and swung him up and down and into the walls. He fell to the floor with a grunt and muttered, "That is getting even older." He stood shakily and attempted to ignore Jack's snowballs and quips. As soon as he was on his feet, he let out a yell that reverberated through the entire cavern system. Cries of Fearlings could be heard in the distance. There had to be thousands here. There was no way that the three- well, two- of them could fight them off. Jack shot off an icicle and Sandy lashed at Pitch again, but he managed to avoid both of these. Before they could attack again, the room was flooded with Fearlings and Nightmares.
They had to get out of there.
Sandy and Jack flew along the ceiling to the hallway to get Joy, when they saw her being hauled away by some Fearlings.
"Let her go!" Jack shouted and flew at them, but felt something on his shoulder. Sandy pointed and then Jack saw the horde of Fearlings and Nightmares chasing them.
"Go!" Joy yelled. "I'll be fine!" She coughed again. Jack was torn, but knew what he needed to do.
"I'll find you!" he called and then raced towards the exit with Sandy.
The Fearlings locked her in a small alcove in the wall with a lead barred door. At least she could see out. Not that it was a pretty sight. Fearlings raced right by her, preparing for whatever was going to happen in two weeks.
I've got to find out and then I've got to get out. To keep her spirits up she ate a bit of her sugar and immediately felt a bit better. Joy would have began to form a plan if she hadn't been interrupted.
"So," said a voice from the shadows. "You are the one who was chosen to defeat my new weapon." Pitch stepped into the meager light and Joy shuddered involuntarily. Pitch chuckled. "That's not going to happen. However, you may have use yet. Frost seems particularly attached to you." Pitch smiled evily. "How do you feel about being his downfall?"
A/N: And scene! Thoughts? Comments? Predictions? Please review and let me know. Thanks so much for reading!