Author's Note: I'm just... going to leave this here, and run away as fast as I can to avoid the mobs with pitchforks. *flees*
The fight seemed heavily one-sided, though not because of an imbalance of strength; rather, Jack was the only one willing to injure those he'd once considered friends. With a raging sense of dark lust, he propelled himself into the air, slashing his shepherd's crook in an attempt to send down a cascade of ice.
Glassy shards rained down on the Sandman, who managed to conjure an umbrella made of sand in the nick of time. Tooth barely flew out of the way fast enough; Bunny had to completely fling himself off to the side in order to avoid the onslaught. North, fortunately, had not been close enough in range. Unfortunately, however, as his fellow guardians attempted to recover from Jack's initial torrent, the winter spirit took aim at the usually jolly fellow.
Far from feeling happy at all, North was reluctant to fight back, even as Jack swung his crook back and forth, attempting to land a hit on the Christmas spirit.
Bunny seemed to be the only one who was capable of realizing that the Jack in front of them was not their Jack. He was changed… and they had no idea what had caused it. Of course, they knew Pitch was behind it. But what could possibly drive their prankster of a friend to such evil depths? It seemed impossible. Jack Frost? Evil? The two concepts just did not pair thoroughly. They were missing something, some part of the equation. And until they found the source of Jack's budding new darkness, they would have to fight. If only to save their own hides long enough to help him.
With that in mind, just as North became unprotected for a sliver of a moment, Bunny's boomerang knocked Jack sideways, sending him careening to the ground just long enough for the Sandman to regain his composure and rejoin the fray. North nodded towards Bunny solemnly, glad for the help but still upset that the help was needed in the first place.
Once Tooth had regrouped with the rest, all she could stand to do was watch. She couldn't bare to hurt Jack. He was their friend! She remembered Bunny's annoyance when they found out there was a new guardian, and his absolute shock at finding out that it was Jack Frost. She remembered smiling like a fool along with her fairies when he arrived at North's palace. And she remembered the giant adventure the five of them took in order to save his memories and defeat Pitch. But now? Her eyes, usually glowing with their crystalline depths... all she saw was darkness in him. She watched as he got up, gritting his teeth and narrowing eyes that looked to be colder than the ice he could conjure.
And it hurt. It hurt to even think, for just one second, that their Jack was gone. And she refused to believe it, because she knew - just like Sandy, North, and Bunny knew - that he was still somewhere in there. And she swore she would make Pitch pay for trying to blind Jack into evil, something he was never meant for. Something she knew with every fiber of her being was forced into his system, allowing Pitch to control every move.
With not another thought, the tooth fairy zoomed into action, careening straight towards Pitch at a breakneck pace, not bothering to stop for anything that lay before or behind her. She wanted to beat Pitch to a pulp, to make him rescind his hold on Jack and give back their friend. She wanted this all to be over, for there not to even be a fight. But she never got that far.
A current of ice was suddenly sent her way, but before she could manage to slow down enough to dodge it, Tooth was struck down by the powerful force, falling to the ground, unconscious. North barely saw what happened, looking towards Pitch's direction long enough to realize that Jack had moved, to stand beside Pitch with an expression that could only be described as... malice. Pure and unbridled malice stretched upon his face, quirking those pale-colored lips into that of a smirk, and bringing his dark eyebrows downwards to give his face that of a sadistic quality.
He was barely recognizable.
Bunny's own face mirrored North's and Sandy's - it was one similar to resignation, sadness... But then... their eyes travelled to Tooth. North cried out in anger, moving towards Pitch with such a violent outburst, it would have scared any other force to the bone. Pitch even found it unnerving, taking a step back and balling his hand into a fist. The action was almost imperceptible, but it triggered a change in Jack. The winter spirit grew fiercer, filled with bloodlust the point of no return. And he liked it. He reveled in it, letting lose a curling laugh that stopped North in his tracks.
The giant man paused, staring at Jack with that same look of sadness, but still he stared at his friend directly, not letting either of their eyes travel away. Jack's mouth twitched for a moment, as if North's close proximity unnerved him. North stepped closer, only a few feet away from both Jack and Pitch, though he seemed to be ignoring Pitch for the moment. He tried his best to reach out to Jack, taking care to place himself between their two... adversaries and Tooth.
Behind him, Sandy nodded towards Bunny, signaling him to go get Tooth and bring her from further harm. The worry that should have been etched on each of the guardians' faces was buried beneath the very shock of the entire situation. Sandy was the worst off, in this respect. Even as Bunny soundlessly heaved Toothiana into his arms and hopped back to where he had previously been standing, the sandman couldn't shake the fact that he had seen Jack not a short while ago.
What on earth had happened? He needed to fix it. He had to fix it... but how could he fix it when he didn't even know what had caused this catastrophe? Maybe... maybe they could get through to him somehow? It seemed North had been thinking along a similar wavelength, and Sandy tuned into what was going on before him just in time to see Pitch cackling.
"Give it up, Father Christmas," said the Boogeyman with the utmost pleased expression placed on his expression. "Jack's betrayed you, don't you see? He doesn't care for anything you have to say. Not now, not ever." He allowed a pause for dramatic effect before continuing, "The entirety of this world will be ours... we shall instill fear and cold... and darkness into the hearts of every child, every happy thought, until there is nothing left but us... standing victorious against it all." He looked down at Jack, who seemed to be serious, not moving an inch. His face was hardened and cold, as if he was a machine, replying only to commands, not to anything around him. He barely registered North's voice, even as he came too close for comfort.
"Jack," he whispered, ignoring Pitch entirely - who was sporting one of those 'Try all you like, you won't ever succeed' sort of looks. Indeed it seemed hopeless, but still North tread on. He had to try. At least try to save Jack. He had to be there somewhere. What Pitch said couldn't be true, not from the way Jack's eyes almost glazed over with a hatred he'd most likely never felt before.
"Jack... don't do this. I don't know what Pitch has done to you, but you can fight it. Remember your center..." His Russian accent seemed to thicken, as his throat constricted with the severity of what he was saying. "We believe in you, Jack. We have always believed in you, and even still, we do... Tooth..." he turned back, shaking his head regretfully. "Look at what she tried to show you, and look what you gave her in return."
Jack looked up for a moment, allowing his gaze to flicker to the form of the tooth fairy, a barely perceptible breathing motion coming from her abdomen. Her face was red, even blue-ish green in spots, and it suddenly came upon him that he had caused it. The attacks he had thrown had hit her head on, and a fire was burning slowly in his heart. Tooth... Tooth? Did... did I do that to her? But... His gaze hardened again, as he grit his teeth and shouted towards North, "Shut up!"
North knew he had hit a vein. He was getting closer. Suddenly, Pitch's smug expression seemed to evaporate, and he took on an irritated, slightly angered expression, balling his fist again to strengthen the dark energy that coursed through Jack's conflicted system. Jack, in turn, brought both his hands up to his head, holding it as he screamed in agony. The war between his hero and dark self was becoming one he couldn't win. The battle he'd been having in his mind ever since this entire thing had started was becoming steadily more bloody. The darker form of him was winning, consuming everything in its path, and when North got too close, out of a sudden concern for his fellow guardian, he was pushed back by a raggedly sent blast of snow. "GET AWAY!" He snarled.
Bunny grabbed his boomerang again, preparing for yet another fight to ensue. The tension in the room reached insurmountable levels, as everyone's breathing seemed to echo around the room. Jack's face seemed unbelievably conflicted, as he tried desperately to fight against the darkness - all to no avail. Pitch was running the show now, and try as he might, the real Jack could not get back to the surface alone. But who could help him? No one, save for Pitch, even knew the problem. Never mind the solution. Jack closed his eyes, then, left with no choice but to give in to the growing darkness.
"It's been quite the adventure catching up with you, guardians, but you'll have to excuse us," he said dragging out each of his words with the smuggest of grins plastered onto his face. "After all, we have a world of fear to instill." Pitch's sinister cackle of laughter filled the entire room, and as he raised an arm up to transport himself and his new 'partner' away, Bunny threw one last boomerang. The two were gone before it made any impact, and it curved through the smoke left in their wake instead. "Bloody hell..." Bunnymund muttered. "What are we going to do now?"
Sorry, sorry, sorry a thousand times over. I've been busy beyond belief with no muse for writing ever since school started up again. Personal and family issues were also added to the mix, and I know no amount of excuses can make up for this but I hoped you liked the chapter. And in case I haven't mentioned it before, I just want you guys to know that any story which does not say 'complete' will never be abandoned, and though it may take a while before I get chapters up, I appreciate each and every review, favorite, and follow I get. Thanks so much for the support so far guys, and I hope you're not too angry about this chapter taking far too long to get written... :c