Sorry about the wait. Action is not my favorite thing to write but it's a necessity, isn't it? Besides, this one is a bit longer than usual.

Remember I said I was back with a bang? Well, here's the bang...

But first... Oh my MiM 219 reviews! This is incredible! Thanks you so much to all of you following and favoriting this story and specially to these lovely people for reviewing the last two chapters: Everlak-forever12, Faleno (if I did that, we couldn't have a third part, could we? ;) sorry about North, I do get carried away), Goldie (I hope your sister survived the treadmill incident), OinkyThePiggy (thanks, I love all your reviews, you're the best), xXMe Against The WorldXx (welcome to this craziness), mlequithinh (this chapter is for you. Thanks for the awesome advice, I hope this won't dissapoint), Krystal and Shawna, Obsie, TheAngeloFlego (thanks for your constant support), Guess, Revenge of the Red Pen, AGR2016 (hey, are you the Alex who always reviewed as guess by any chance?) and creatorX33. Wow, no wonder there are so many reviews :D


"No way!" snarled Jack decisively.

"I don't like it either, but it's the only way, snowflake" replied Bunny, his arms folded on his chest.

"I am not doing that to the others! To Tooth! Do you have any idea what she would feel...!" Jack retorted, almost yelling. He was getting more agitated as the conversation progressed.

"I do have a pretty good idea, mate" the pooka interjected, looking at Gretchen. He was thinking about that morning, when he was running through a herd of fearlings, terrified that he wouldn't catch her on time. Or just a few minutes earlier, when he knew he wouldn't be able to stop Gaia from killing her. "But I know they can take it and there's no way I'm risking loosing you for real. You're part of our family; and we need you to get Gaia back."

"Sorry, handsome, but it's the only way to keep you safe. It's our best shot" added the Groundhog.

"You're in too much pain, Frostbite. I'm worried about you even as it is. We can't let her see you or you'll be toast." said Bunny, putting his hand on Jack's shoulder.

The pooka didn't like it either. He knew Tooth too well and he expected her to either breakdown or try to kill Gaia. But it was Jack's only hope. He tapped the ground with his foot, creating a tunnel to Burgess.

"This better work" rasped the winter spirit between his teeth, as the wind carried him down the hole, followed by Aster and Gretchen.


Pitch could almost taste it. Another dark age, even bigger than before. The power he would wield! Even grown ups would sense his presence! He could feel it, it was all starting. The fear. The few survivors would be at his mercy and he wouldn't be invisible ever again. Most of his nightmares were finished, but it didn't matter. His secret weapon, his ally, his dear daughter was in full throttle. She alone could handle the Guardians and he would finally get his revenge. He would finally get everything he ever wanted, and most of all, he would always have Sera, he wouldn't be alone ever again. The useless Guardians would regret hurting his child. Yes... the Boogeyman looked up at the moon smiling maliciously. There was nothing MiM could do to stop him now.

Seraphina was hurt and furious. She couldn't comprehend why Gretchen had won, but she certainly was not about to let it happen again. She frantically looked around for her little friend. She wanted to put her in her place, to make her pay for what she had done, but the Groundhog was nowhere to be found, she must have been in one of her stupid tunnels. She was protected in there by some sort of pooka magic that stopped Mother Nature from entering them uninvited. Oh well, her friends would have to face her wrath. Maybe this would be better. Gretchen would find them all dead when she comes out. She couldn't hide forever.

The three Guardians stood closer together as they watched Gaia's terrifying yellow eyes roll in their sockets, her arms obviously giving instructions to the elements. They unconsciously moved closer to each other. They had a pretty good idea of what was coming at them and their first instinct was to stay together, to give each other strength.

The sky roared with thunder as the storm intensified, clouding their senses once more. Lightening attacked the three Guardians, forcing them to take evasive action, to break their little circle. 'Divide and conquer' though Seraphina with an evil smile, as the ground beneath the Guardian's began shaking and cracking, making in impossible for North to stay on his feet.

Tooth gasped as she saw their leader tumbling and falling on the ground once and again in spite his best efforts. She flew to him as fast as she could but it was almost impossible for her wings to conquer the raging winds. And then, the worst happened. The earth beneath North's legs cracked open into an abyss and the Guardian of Wonder couldn't help but falling in.

"Sandy, we have to help North!" screamed the fairy, traveling at top speed towards North yet not moving fast enough. She wasn't sure that the Sandman could even hear her. She wasn't sure that Sandy himself wasn't in need of help.

When she got to the edge of the abyss, Tooth smiled, relieved. There it was, the big Russian man holding the side of the cliff with his fingertips.

"Toothie! Where have you been?" asked North smiling.

"Oh, you know, doing my make up" she smiled as she held him in her arms.

"Where's Sandy?" asked North, looking around.

"I don't know, I can't see him anywhere!" she replied panicking. "Sandy!" she screamed, frantically. She was beginning to worry about their friend.

"Sandy!" North joined in, searching their surroundings for any sign of gold.

Sera looked at her father and their terrifying laughter could be heard amidst the chaos. Finally the Boogeyman could taste the Guardian's fear. Both Tooth and North were so scared that his fearlings could actually take them, but that was not the fate he wanted for them. Pitch wanted to get rid of the Guardians once and for all. He didn't want to leave them the possibility to escape.

Sandy opened his eyes. He was lying on the pavement and he could feel a little drip of golden sand coming from the side of his head. He had been hit by debris and plummeted unconscious to the ground. He was disoriented, the world around him spinning, the ground shaking under his body. He tried to look around but the rain and the wind made it impossible for him to see more than a couple of meters away. He heard Pitch's and his daughter's laughter and he immediately thought the worst, but he soon heaved a sight of relieve as Tooth's muffled yells reached him. He hovered above the pavement, still dizzy, looking for the direction where his friend's voice had come from. But the night was black and the storm was thick and there was no trace of Tooth's colorful plumage anywhere. His sand fireworks adorned the sky and he could see North and the fairy flying toward him with difficulty. But the light also alerted Gaia of his location. Lightening stroked all around him and it was all he could do trying to avoid getting hit, unable to join his friends.

Tooth's wings were barely strong enough to battle the storm as it was and her eyes widened as the biggest tornado she has ever seen in her whole existence - and that was a really long time- was traveling in their direction.

"Tooth! We need to take cover! Over here!" Instructed North, pointing at one of the few buildings still standing.

The edifice was only about five feet away, but the wind was pulling her in the opposite direction, making it almost impossible for Tooth to advance fast enough and she was sure they were not going to make it. It didn't help that she too was trying to avoid the lightening army falling from the sky. And just when she was starting to feel that all was lost, a sand whip wrapped around her waist, pulling them closer to the building. She smiled at Sandy, but she wasn't sure he could see her in the darkness.

North and Tooth entered the structure just in time. The russian hugged one of the columns, with the fairy pinned to it. He was afraid that being so light she would still be at the mercy of the elements. She was a bird after all, her body was designed to fly with the wind. He could feel her tiny frame trembling, wether from fear or exhaustion he didn't know, but when his eyes questioned hers she gifted him the tiniest of smiles.

"It will be OK" North said loudly enough so she could hear amidst the chaos, holding both the girl and the concrete with all the strength he had as the tornado attacked the building with all its might.

He feared that the structure wouldn't hold, that the building would not withstand both the force of the earthquake and the wind, but he knew they had a better chance of surviving the concrete collapsing over their heads than falling into the eye of Seraphina's twister. The Guardian of wonder breathed a sight of relieved. The edifice seemed to be holding on. But just when the two Guardians thought they were safe, Mother Nature's voice resonated through the walls.

"Excactly where I wanted you..."

And just like that, the structure was engulfed by flames.


Sandy pulled the other two to safety, but he almost got hit by lightening in the process and he scrambled around, the strong wind pulling him closer and closer to the eye of the tornado. Even an immortal wouldn't survive that. His whips wrapped around the nearby trees and he was trying to pull himself to safety, but the trees themselves were being pulled of the ground by the strong winds. And just when he was loosing hope, hope itself came to the rescue. Two furry grey paws grabbed the golden man's legs, pulling him inside the safety of a rabbit hole

"Where did he go?!" asked Pitch.

"I can't see him. The pookas are here." replied his daughter, a smile on her face. Finally she could have a go at Gretchen.


Please keep the reviews coming. I'm shamelessly addicted :)