A/N: So, I promised myself I was going to upload yesterday…then I started reading some fanfic stories…
Enough said.
Disclaimer: If you think I'm the genius that created RotG, you would be mistaken.
North took Jack down some sort of elevator to the actual workshop.
"It's nothing personal. What you all do, it's just not my thing."
"Man in Moon says it is your thing," North replied. He signed some papers and continued leading the winter spirit through the workshop.
"Slow down, would ya? I've been trying to bust in here for years. I want a good look!" Jack laughed, looking around. The whole place was amazing. She really should have tried harder to get in here.
"What do you mean, bust in?" North asked.
"Oh, don't worry. Never made it past the yetis." She backed up, and bumped into a very familiar yeti, the one that always seemed to know when she was making a break in, "Oh, hey Phil." Phil made a fist and hit his hand, warning Jack.
"Keep up, Jack, keep up!"
Unlike North, Jack had to dodge around yetis to move forward. Besides, she didn't want to hurry. Everywhere she looked, she saw yetis making doll houses, or robots, or toy barns. There were more toys here than she had ever seen, and she spent 300 years playing with kids,
"Whoa," she yelped, ducking to avoid a flying airplane. She jogged up to North. "I always thought the elves made the toys," she noted.
North whispered, "We just let them believe that." Jack saw some elves working. They had wrapped one of the elves in Christmas lights and plugged them in.
"Very nice. Keep up good work," North said, nodding to the elves. He grabbed Jack and pulled her along. Jack, couldn't help it, she winced away from his touch, but continued to follow North.
"I don't like it, paint it red," North told one yeti, who was painting toy robots.
"What the-" He looked over at his huge stacks of already blue robots. He groaned.
"Step it up, everybody," North called. As he lead Jack into his office, Jack took one last look at the place. She smiled, then followed North into his office.
The office looked like Jack's kind of place. There was ice all over the desks. However, the room itself was warm, which Jack didn't like. It wasn't like she hated warmth; it just wasn't as comfortable as the cold was to her.
An elf brought a plate over to North. He grabbed it, knocking the elf off the table. "Fruitcake?" he offered.
"Uh, no, thanks."
He tossed the plate to the side. "Now, we get down to text of press." He cracked his knuckles.
Jack was confused. "Text of…" The door behind her swung closed. She turned in surprise. When she looked back, there was one angry looking Santa Clause walking up to her. She gasped, and backed up.
"Who ARE you, Jackie Frost?" No one ever used her full name. She backed into the door, now trapped. North pointed to her chest. "What is your center?"
"My center?"
"If Man in Moon chose you to be a Guardian, you must have something very special inside." He took a step back, much to Jack's relief, and looked at her, stroking his beard. Having an idea, he walked over to one of the desks and grabbed a nesting doll.
"Here. This is how you see me, no? Very big, intimidating. But if you get to know me a little, well, go on," he said. He handed the doll to Jack.
She pulled off the first head, to see a second that looked different than before. "You are downright jolly?" she guessed.
"But no just jolly! I am also mysterious," he said, as Jack continued to pull off the doll tops. "And fearless. And caring." He walked beside Jack. "And at my center," he said, holding out his hand. Jack dumped a little baby into it.
"There's a tiny wooden baby." She was unimpressed.
"Look closer. What do you see?" North pressed.
"You have big eyes," Jack noticed.
"Yes! Big eyes, VERY big, because they are full of wonder." He walked towards the middle of the office. "That is my center. It was what I was born with. Eyes that always seen the wonder in everything! Eyes that see lights on trees, and magic in the air. This wonder, is what I put into the world!" He and Jack stepped out to look at the wonder in the workshop. Jack had to admit, it was pretty cool. It was, amazing. "This wonder is what I put into the world! And what I protect in children. It is what makes me a Guardian." Jack looked down at the wooden baby, now in a different way. "It is my center. What is yours?"
She looked down. "I don't know."
North nodded like he understood, and made Jack close her hand around the baby. Unlike usual, Jack didn't flinch when North's hand touched hers.
A set of wings blew by the window. North and Jack turned to see what it was, but the figure was gone. Bunny and Sandy ran through the door. "We have a problem mate. Trouble at the tooth palace," Bunny said urgently.
North lead everyone to where he kept his sleigh. "Boys," North clapped his hands at the yetis. He and Bunny argued about something that Jack couldn't make out. But that wasn't what concerned her. "I'm not going with you guys! There is no way I'm climbing into some rickety old…" she was cut off as the doors opened. "Sleigh."
The reindeers trudged forward like war horses. Jack laughed, but stopped when she spotted the sleigh. It was huge, and shiny. Not at all what she had pictured. There were wings on the side of it and a map in front of where the driver's seat was. The back of the sleigh had stair-like seats.
Jack managed to close her mouth. She gave in. "Okay, one ride, but that's it."
"Everyone loved the sleigh," North said to Bunny.
Bunny still hadn't closed his mouth. This wasn't the first time he had seen the sleigh, nor would it be the first time he had ridden in it. But that didn't change the fact that Bunny hated flying.
"Bunny, what are you waiting for?" North asked.
"I think my tunnels will be faster mate. And um, and safer," he said, poking the sleigh with his foot.
"Get in," North insisted. He grabbed Bunny and threw him in the back. "Buckle up!"
"Whoa, whoa, wait. Where are the bloody seat belts?"
"HA! That was just expression. Are we ready?" he called to his yetis. Not waiting for them to answer, though some of them did say no, he cried, "Let's go!" North snapped the reigns, and the reindeers took off down the ice tunnels. Bunny cried out in fear, his grip scratching the sleigh. Jack just laughed, enjoying the ride and the look on Bunny's face.
The whole way, Bunny was yelling out, while North laughed, "I hope you like the loop-de-loops!"
Bunny had to stop himself from vomiting. "I hope you like carrots."
Sandy and Jack were both grinning as the sleigh took off the ramp and flew into the air.
"Let's go!" North yelled, making the sleigh go forward a bit, the flying it back around.
Jack leapt up on the very back of the sleigh. She glanced at the rabbit, who looked a little white. She had an idea. "Hey Bunny, check out this view-whoa!" The wind blew her off the back of the sleigh.
"AH! Uh, North, she's uh…" He couldn't manage to speak clearly. He peaked over the edge to see where the winter spirit had fallen. Jack was lazily sitting on the bottom.
"Aw, you do care," she teased.
That snapped Bunny out of it. "Oh, rack off you bloody show-pony."
"Hold on everyone!" North called to them. Jack jumped back into the sleigh. "I know a shortcut!"
"Oh, I knew we should have taken the tunnels!"
"I say, Tooth Palace," North said. He spoke to one of his magic globes. When he threw it forward, a portal opened up, and North urged the sleigh through it.
They popped into the skies outside of the Tooth Palace. They weren't alone though. "What?" North asked. The sleigh was zipping past black horses. Everyone inside had to duck a few times to avoid being hit. Sandy made a sand umbrella to protect himself.
Jack was the one that noticed the horses chasing after Tooth's fairies. "They're taking the Tooth Fairies!" she gasped. Seeing one fairy fly right by, Jack jumped up and grabbed her before the horse could get her. She fell back into the sleigh and looked at the little fairy.
"Hey little baby tooth. You okay?" she asked. The fairy squeaked and nodded her head.
North flew them into the opening of the Tooth Palace. There were more horses inside. "Here, North said, handing Jack the reigns. "Take over." Jack complied and took them.
"Ya!" she cried, snapping the reigns. North stood up and slashed one of the horses with his sword. A few gold containers fell near Bunny.
"They're stealing the teeth!" he gasped.
Sandy looked at the black sand that had fallen onto his arm. He looked at Bunny, confused.
"Jack, look out!" North cried. Jack, who had been distracted, quickly dodged one of the houses they were about to hit and made a rough landing.
Tooth was flying around. "Tooth!" North called. "Are you alright?" All the Guardians and Jack jumped out of the sleigh.
"They, they took my fairies. And the teeth, all of them." She flew down and landed on her knees. "Everything is gone. Everything." The three Guardians crowded around her. Jack stayed on the lower platform, not sure what she should do. Baby Tooth, however, flew off of Jack's shoulder and over to Tooth.
Tooth gasped, and held her fairy gently. "Thank goodness. One of you is alright."
An evil sounding voice echoed across the Palace. "I must say. This is very, very exciting."
All five of them were looking around. Jack was the only one that looked confused though. She had never heard this voice before.
"The big four, all in one place. I'm a little star struck." An evil looking man appeared on the platform above the Guardians. The very sight of him sent a chill down Jack's spine. Not the one she felt when she got walked through. This wasn't pain; this was a sinister feeling. Jack could almost call it fear.
"Did you like my show on the globe, North?" the man asked. "Got you all together, didn't I?"
North groaned when he realized he had been toyed with.
"Pitch!" Tooth yelled. She flew up. "You have got thirty seconds to return my fairies!" She flew at him, but he melted into the shadows.
"Or what? You'll stick a quarter under my pillow?" he taunted, appearing on a different platform.
"Why are you doing this?" North asked.
"Maybe, I want what you have. To be believed in."
Jack's eyes grew a little wide.
"Maybe I'm tired of hiding under beds!" Pitch was now on another platform.
Bunny stepped forward. "Maybe, that's where you belong!"
"Ah," Pitch sighed. He appeared on the bottom of the Guardian's platform. "Go suck an egg, rabbit." Bunny lunged, but Pitch had disappeared again.
"Hang on." Pitch again. "Is that Jack Frost?" He laughed. "Since when are you all so chummy?"
Jack slowly was backing up. "We're not."
"Oh good," Pitch said from behind her. She spun around, her staff in a defensive position. "A neutral party. Then I'm going to ignore you. But, you must be used to that by now." Jack tried her best not to look hurt. Why did everyone have to bring that up?
Bunny had had enough. "Pitch!" He jumped down to Jack's platform. He muttered a bunch of curses. "Come here!" He through his boomerang, but Pitch vanished.
Tooth caught the boomerang and charged at Pitch, who was on a high platform. Pitch merely grinned and waited for her to get close. One of the horses appeared and lunged at Tooth, who just barely managed to get out of the way. She gasped. Baby Tooth panicked and hide in Jack's hood.
"Oh whoa, whoa, hey, easy girl. Easy." Pitch laughed. "Look familiar, Sandman?" He held out the sand for Sandy to see. "Took me a while to perfect this little trick. Turning dreams into nightmares."
Sandy looked at his sand, then glared at Pitch angrily.
"Don't be nervous. That only riles them up more. They smell fear, you know."
"What fear? Of you?" Bunny laughed. He grabbed his boomerang from Tooth. "No one's been afraid of you, since the dark ages."
"Oh, the dark ages. Everyone was frightened. Miserable. Such happy times for me. All the power I wielded. But then the Man in the Moon chose you to replace my fear with your wonder and light. Lifting their hearts, and giving them hope. Meanwhile everyone wrote me off as just a bad dream. 'Oh, there's nothing to be afraid of. There's no such thing as the Boogeyman!' Well that's all about to change." He looked at the Tooth Palace, which had some buildings start to crumble. "Oh, look. It's happening already."
Jack looked around at the buildings. "What is?"
"Children are waking up, and realizing, the Tooth Fairy never came. It's such a little thing. But to a child…" Pitch was smirking.
"What's going on?" Jack asked.
"They, they don't believe in me anymore." Tooth looked heartbroken.
"Didn't they tell you, Jack? It's GREAT being a Guardian. But there's a catch. If enough kids stop believing, everything your friends protect, wonder, hope, dreams, good memories, it all goes away. And little by little, so do they. No Christmas, or Easter, or little fairies that come in the night. There will be nothing, but fear and darkness. And me. It's your turn, not to be believed in."
Bunny threw his boomerang, hoping to catch Pitch off guard. He ducked, and jumped on his horse. They raced downwards, past the Guardians. All four raced after him. Jack, after some hesitation, followed. Bunny tried to egg bomb him, but Pitch dodged. When they landed, they all looked around.
"He's gone," North sighed.
As the other three talked (or attempted to in Sandy's case), Jack approached Tooth. "I'm sorry about the fairies."
"You should have seen them. They put up such a fight." Baby Tooth flew around Jack's head.
"Why would Pitch take the teeth?" she asked.
"It's not the teeth he wanted. It's the memories inside them."
Jack didn't understand. "What do you mean?"
"That's why we collect the teeth, Jack. They hold the most important memories of childhood." She got up and flew towards some paintings on the wall. Jack walked behind her, freezing the water under her feet so she could stand. "And I watch over them. And when someone needs to remember what's important, we help them. We had everyone's here." She placed a hand on the young spirit's shoulder. "Yours too."
That took her off guard. "My memories?"
"From when you were young. Before you became Jack Frost."
"But, I wasn't anyone before I was Jack Frost." Jack took a step back. What was Tooth talking about?
"Of course you were. We were all someone before we were chosen," Tooth explained.
Jack's eyes grew wide. "What?" She could hardly believe what she was hearing.
She heard North laughing behind her. "You should have seen Bunny!"
"I told you never to mention that!" Bunny hissed.
Jack still couldn't quite believe it. "I never though…I, I assumed… I…" She stepped up to Tooth. "Are you saying, are you saying I had a life, before that? Wait, with a home? And a family?"
Tooth stared at the girl. "You really don't remember?"
"All these years and the answers were right here. If I find my memories, then I'll know why I'm here. You have to show me!" she cried, flying up.
"I, I can't, Jack. Pitch has them."
Jack landed on the shore. She turned. "Then we have to get them back!"
Tooth started flying forward, but she froze. "Oh no! The children!" The painting was starting to fade away. "We're too late."
"No. NO! No such thing as too late!" North said, flinging his swords around. He muttered to himself, thinking. "Wait, wait, waitwaitwaitwaitwait! Idea!" he cried, almost taking Bunny's head off. "We, will collect the teeth!" he exclaimed.
"What?" Tooth cried.
"We get teeth, children start believing in you," North explained.
"We're talking seven continents, millions of kids…"
"Give me break. You know how many toys I deliver in one night?"
"And eggs I hide in one day," Bunny added.
They all smiled at each other. Then North turned to Jack. "And, Jack. If you help us, we will get you your memories."
Tooth laughed excitedly. Sandy gave Jack two thumbs up. Bunny tried not to smile, while North let himself smile and nod at the winter spirit.
Jack grinned. "I'm in."
A/N: Did anyone notice the HTTYD reference I made? Tell me in the reviews if you found it!
