Aster slipped through the halls, careful not to make a noise. He had successfully skirted the ice monstrosity patrolling the halls, Mother Nature and Sandy not far behind. Now, they were glancing around the corner and saw another living ice sculpture guarding the staircase to their second key.
"Damn it." Huffed Aster, drawing his boomerangs. Once he threw them, on the off chance he missed or if he did minimal damage, he would alert it to their location. But, the thing had to be destroyed one way or another if they were going to get to the keys. All froze as the creature looked in their direction, and lifted a silver piece of metal on a string.
"The key!" whispered Mother Nature. The thing seemed to know it was there, because as it stared at their hidden nook, it swallowed the key, a clink echoing in the hall as it hit it's glassy ice stomach.
"Fuck." Growled Aster. "Okay...on my mark..." Aster pulled back, and flung a boomerang at the creature, hitting it in the forehead while he, Mother Nature and Sandy burst forward, heading a full on assault. With a yell, Mother Nature was flung into the wall by the thing's tail, spikes catching in her gown and pinning her down.
"You rat bastard!" she yelled, vines forcing their way through the ice as Sandy and Aster lashed at it with sand whips, boomerangs and sharp claws. Thick green tendrils wrapped around the ice, weaving through the small holes and cracks in the ice, Aster and Sandy beating it into submission while the thing was encased in green.
"MOVE!" yelled Aster, pulling Sandy back as Mother Nature's hair flared, the vines squeezing the ice mercilessly. With a loud screech, the ice beast shattered into a million little shards, some piercing the tendrils. Mother Nature leaned against the cool wall, gasping.
"You okay?" asked Aster, Sandy grabbing the key from the icy remains.
"Yeah." She gasped. "Just...the cold...it took a lot to make the vines." Aster pulled out the ice spikes, helping his long time friend and figurative Mother figure up. Sandy handed Aster the key, the Pooka looking it over in his hand. It made his heart ache, seeing the delicate snowflake design adorning the silver key.
"Come on." He said, securing the key safely with the first. "One more key, and we win."
"If the others succeed." Said Mother Nature, retracting her vines.
"With Mrs. Clause on their team?" scoffed Aster. "FIFTY of those buggers would be lucky to make it out in worse condition than THIS one with her on the loose." Sandy let out silent laughter, Mother Nature grinning devilishly.
"Then we simply MUST do tea sometime." She said. "Perhaps exchange fighting tips..." Aster gave her a funny look, though he was used to the woman's almost bi-polar tendencies; sunshine and daisies one minute, badass warrior the next. Shaking his head, his refocused on the task at hand. One passage lay ahead, the sound of an ice minion's roar echoing from within. Eyes hardened, Aster hopped down the hall, racing to a corner and checking it before proceeding and allowing the others to move. Sandy took the rear, an unsettling feeling taking hold of his small body. Shivering, he dismissed it, and followed the weakened Mother Nature and increasingly jumpy Pooka down the corridor, towards the blood curdling roars.
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"Aha!" laughed North, patting Aster on the back, the blow sending the Pooka forward a few feet. "The final battle! Tell me, how long it take to get keys?"
"Faster than you, if that's what you're asking." Huffed Aster. "Now shut up! We're one key away, and I for one want my mate and kit safe at home by morning!"
"Relax." Chuckled the Russian. "Good guys ALWAYS win! Joy be home in bed before you say go and Jack be safe in arms with cup of eggnog!"
"Shut it North." Huffed Aster. "We still have one key to go." The reunited group strode into the final tower, finding a massive room with a massive ice door at the end, five key holes in a circle on the double doors. A key merely sat on the floor in the center of the room, making all hesitate.
"It's too easy..." said Mrs. Clause, eyes darting about the room. Aster took a tentative step forward, testing the floor. Tooth squeaked , the floor crumbling beneath Aster's swiftly recoiling foot.
"Well, this presents an interesting dilemma." Said Mother Nature, tapping her foot.
"Dilemma?" chuckled North. "Tooth and sandy fly and get!"
"Uh..." began Tooth, trying to fly to the edge, but a strange energy only repelled her. Only Aster seemed able to get close to the edge. Backing up, Aster held out his paw to North.
"Give me the keys mate." He said, his tone leaving no room for discussion. North silently handed him the keys, ushering everyone out of the way. Aster backed as far as he could down the hall, fell on all fours, and took a deep breath.
"He's not going to-" began Tooth, Aster rocketing forward. Nothing but a gray blur came past the party, Aster gathering all his power and momentum into the jump. Tooth let out a sigh of relief as Aster landed on the safe ice, snatching the fifth key as he went, but the energy remained.
"We'll find our own way in!" yelled Mother Nature. "If Winter won't let them go, distract them! Don't take him on alone!"
"If he did anything to them, I make no promises." He growled, fitting the five keys into the locks. The sound of ice scraping against ice filled his ears, the doors pushing open on their own.
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Old Man Winter tapped his knee, rage burning in his cold body. Jack had curled up in the center of the cage with Joy, not wanting to look at the water a mere few feet from the cage any longer, instead figuring out ways to keep her warm and dry despite the cold.
"He's kicking your sorry ass, isn't he?" accused Jack, an angry glare directed at the old spirit on his throne.
"No worries." He huffed, eyeing the chain holding them up. "NOBODY defeats Old Man Winter."
"Funny, because that black eye looks like quite the defeat."
"Shut it Jack." Huffed Winter, glaring at the boy.
"Nope." Jack made a little pop at the end of the word, effectively irritating his captor and prison guard. "And NEVER call me that again, old man. The Titanic was unforgivable."
"You were the one who flew over after a stupid spat with diaper boy." He growled. "Not my fault you were distracted."
"Who's brilliant idea was it to form glaciers with an angry teen with humans in the course!?" Old Man Winter had to concede to that, nodding.
"But I wasn't the one who moved the burg." He said. "I may be the accomplice, but all those people, all those children died because of you."
"And I spent fifty years mourning." Growled Jack, hugging his daughter tighter at the memory, the children's bodies limp in the cold water, precious few people pulled from the icy cold water to the safety of the boats. In his mind, he couldn't help but see Joy among them, drowned and frozen to death in the unforgiving water. "You hid like a child."
"So did you."
"I was IGNORED." Snarled Jack. "I have ALWAYS been alone, until I became a guardian, and fell in love with Aster. You, old man, are nothing but a sour old bastard for ripping away one of your own spirits from what makes them happy. It's like taking away snow and ice from winter, or rearranging the seasons. It's sick and wrong, especially to involve a CHILD."
"I see becoming one of those pathetic goody two-shoes has changed you." Huffed Winter. "But you are still my spirit, and I will do with you as I wish." Suddenly there was a creak, the ice doors opening wide.
"Okay ya old bludger." Growled Aster, stepping into the icy throne room with his boomerangs drawn. "I won your little game. Now, hand over Joy and Jack before I break them into a million pieces and throw ya to the golems."
"What's the word I'm looking for?" said Winter, raising his staff. "Oh yes! NO!" He blasted the chain holding Jack and Joy's cage with ice, and with a yell of panic, the cage dropped into the icy arctic water.