Me: Okay, first of all, thanks to Omega-Saber, rosa_reyes_96780(sorry, but had to do under-slashes instead of full stops *eyeroll and sigh*) Leebecky06, warriorkittytailsdoll, Agrippina Pelageya, TheEndsongAbyssXV, Bay2929, mlequithinh, Harrison Orion Black, Caithlinn13 and WhiteWolfLegend for the faves and/or follows! I hope you continue to enjoy the fic! :D
And second of all... 50 CHAPTERS! OH MY GOD JUST GAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!
*runs around in circles screaming and waving my arms about like a loon*
Vader: Ah... Yes, I was afraid that would happen. Okay, so it looks like I'm doing the forenote again... Ahem, right...
Item one on the agenda, please ignore the huge battle which is going on behind me, inside a huge cloud of dust and flailing limbs, which is between pretty much every Looney Tunes character here. It may be rather amusing, but the black eye isn't worth it. Trust me- OW! DAFFY! STOP THROWING... was that a tyre? I don't even want to know...
Err... Right, second thing on the agenda. Ah yes, Raven hopes that this will be one of the longest chapters she has done so far, so she apologises for the delay, but she did have quite a bit to do over the last few days.
Item three, for those of you who read her Merlin fics, she has now updated Merkit and the 99 word drabbles series. Though several of you have already found this out... I have to say, she was rather unnerved when she got a couple of reviews inside of five minutes... Started ranting about how smileys were taking over the Universe- That one was your fault Lady Misa!- and Bugs Bunny was an imposter working for the Wizarding Wizengamot in the Harry Potter universe.
And item four. Seeing as this is a rather important chapter, Raven has tried to incorporate as many requests as she could about characters being added and various tricks and pranks being played. I wouldn't know, but it looked rather tricky... So hopefully it came across okay,
Anyhow, before I start ranting, allow me to introduce, with over 8000 words, chapter 50 of It Takes Time... Enjoy!
"TOOTH! DUCK! NORTH, TO YOUR LEFT!"
Bunny was yelling even as he dove behind a tree, reloading his blaster.
This was the third ambush they had walked into.
Heck, it was a one person ambush and they were being beaten without Jack so much as breaking a sweat...
Bunny provided cover fire as the others leapt behind trees, returning fire-though Sandy seemed to be in his own little world as he pondered things- and missing the flitting spirit completely as he vanished into the heavy canopy of trees once more...
...
They had just decided to attempt to move again, and North attempted a combat roll between the trees, causing Tooth to sigh as she had to flit down and roll him behind one of the thicker trunks
They were currently still hiding-though Bunny had worded it as a tactical response to a possible unseen danger of unknown proportions- behind various trees, armed with slingshots and blasters, and trying to blend in with the fauna as best they could... what with the various hair dyes and what not...
They had been blasting at Jack all morning, but the spirit was being ridiculously nimble and agile and they had yet to land a single hit on him. Paint balloons, cookies, exploding teeth, egg bombs, elves... They had been throwing everything they could think of, and they had still not managed to catch him.
Now he, on the other hand, had turned them into walking advertisements for rainbows...
Bunny sighed as he saw Tooth roll North behind a tree, and cursed.
Sure, let's start a straw war in the warren! Because it wouldn't escalate into a full blown war! Not at all...
Yeah, he knew he was being sarcastic to himself, but he didn't care. He was still bright pink, had spent the last three hours in a stealth war, blasting at anything that moved, and rolling his eyes at Sandy, who was still musing as to how Jack could possibly have changed the colour of his sand. Heck, now he was sat in the lotus position, in the air, hovering over a cloud of rainbow sand with his 'I'm musing so do not distract me unless the world is ending' face on.
It was a further half an hour of them trying to sneak towards the storage area and the orbs stashed in the warren-so they could escape- when Jack clearly decided that he wanted some more fun at their expense.
Bunny was the first to blink as he heard a faint droning noise, but the others picked up on it as it got louder, and eventually, even Sandy perked up.
Just as a battalion of planes, each being ridden by an elf who was holding the remote control for it, flew over them, releasing a wave of cookie dough bombs, which exploded on contact with the ground, splattering the entire area with chocolate chip goo.
They all leapt for cover, all but Sandy, who simply moved closer to a tree, conjured a sand umbrella-again, in different colours- and returned to his thinking pose.
The planes managed three runs before the guardians started firing back, and Bunny grinned as he caught sight of a distracted Jack.
Brilliant... He lined up his shot, and fired, plastering Jack's jacket with bright red paint.
Jack yelped as he toppled from the tree, before grabbing a branch and swinging himself to the ground, gaping at his jacket.
Then he literally growled as he grabbed his staff and conjured hundreds of snowballs... Literally, hundreds.
The guardians blinked, both amused and relieved that Bunny had finally managed to get Jack, but panicked because it had been the jacket... But before they could react, the missiles launched at them, burying them in snowdrifts... Blue snowdrifts, as Jack's snow was still blue.
They managed to dig themselves out after a few minutes, only to be faced with a terrifying sight.
Jack stood there, surrounded by empty planes, their pilots standing around him with wicked smiles on their normally cute and innocent faces.
Jack grinned, not saying anything as he brought his arm up and let it drop. A clear signal.
As one, the elves rushed the three guardians they could get to, and piled on in one huge tickling mass.
Jack was in hysterics as the guardians all started laughing and crying as they were tickled, Tooth especially, being the most ticklish, had tears running down her cheeks as she tied to wriggle free.
He also managed to snap a couple of photos, so he could send them to the others with the words 'Good thing you got out when you did...' before he shot a salute at Sandy, shot him with a glue and feather bomb, and sauntered off, whistling.
The elves, on the other hand, stayed where they were, keeping the guardians in semi-insane hysterics. Well, their 'Snow Prince/Lord' had give no orders to stop, so the small beings continued to tickle the guardians, until they finally managed to get through to Sandy who sent them all to sleep with dream sand.
It wasn't long before they got themselves together, and North realised that they had no way of getting the elves back to the Pole at this moment in time...
Bunny gulped as he realised that this would mean they would be left alone, unsupervised, in the warren, before he grudgingly followed the others to the centre of the warren, not even bothering to try with the subtlety any more.
They were nervous wrecks by the time they had reached the store rooms, their nerves in tatters as they had seen, often out of the corner of their eye, a figure in a blue hoody flitting between the trees around and above them, as well as hearing spooky yet terrifyingly familiar 'I have a plan' chuckles echoing around them from all directions...
Needless to say, they were all relieved to be inside the safety of the storerooms...
The maze of storerooms that had just turned dark when someone-none of the guardians being near it- had slammed the door shut with an evil laugh as all of the lights went off.
They were immediately back to back, weapons drawn, when North gave a startled exclamation.
"My swords! They are not... my swords! They are simply plastic!"
Bunny growled in frustration.
"He's a ninja! It wouldn't have been exactly difficult to switch- Hey!" He blinked as he felt for his Boomerangs, only to find that they had been replaced with stuffed carrots.
"Damn it... Okay Tooth? You're the closest to the light-switch!"
"On it..." She carefully fluttered to the wall, roughly where she knew the switch to be, and started feeling for it...
Jack grinned as he silently let the ice he had formed on his hand melt, and then lay his freezing and wet hand on the light-switch... Any second now...
"AAARRRGGGHHHHHHH!"
He gave spooky laugh as he flicked the switch, turning the lights on, before turning to the others, Tooth still being in hysterics and flying in circles shouting about ghostly spirits coming for vengeance.
Jack grinned at the others, who immediately took a step back, before he gestured to the longish hallway tunnel that led form the storeroom.
More specifically, to the pedestal at the end, on which rested a single orb...
He was also being completely silent, which creeped them out even more, though they got the message...
Jack, who-they finally noticed- was wearing his ninja all in one outfit, pulled a ninja style mask over his face, before turning off the light-switch again with an ominous click.
It wasn't as dark as they had thought, what with the faint light coming form the edges of the door, but Jack was now completely invisible...
Bunny quickly made his way over to a shelf, and felt around until he gave a satisfied 'aha' and handed everyone a torch.
Lit up in torchlight, the place looked ridiculously spooky, and the sudden movements of a swift shadow-also known as Jack in full on Ninja Stealth mode- made it even worse.
None the less, they cautiously started down the tunnel...
"Yeow!"
"NORTH!"
"Sorry! Trip wire was not visible!
"That's the whole idea ya drongo!"
"GUYS! SHUT UP!"
"You shut up- THE NET! Ouch... You okay?"
"Bloody sticky web... DARN IT! TRIP-WIRE-"
Splat... Groaning.
"We know. That's why we are covered now in paint, da?"
"I said sorry!"
"Look, just walk a little slower and be a bit more careful and- Sandy!"
A silent explosion of angry red sparks which quickly morphed to rainbow ponies as he flew into a shelf.
"... Kay, that's a bit strange mate- NORTH!"
"SORRY!"
"Second time North. Even Bunny isn't as- BUNNY!"
"Damn it! Bloody crates... NO! STAY STILL! THEY'RE EXPLODING POWDERED PAINT BOMBS!"
"... WHY WOULD YOU HAVE EXPLODING POWDERED PAINT BOMBS!"
"HONESTLY, WHAT IS IT WITH YOU MEN AND WEAPONS!"
Angry explosion of multi-coloured sparkle in an accusing pointed finger.
"Just in case! Now careful not to step on them..."
"Easier said than done, Bunn-"
"Less chat, more dodging- North! Watch out for the… Shelf. Oh... Darn it."
Yelps. Explosions of blue and green and red and pink and white and yellow paint powder.
"Okay, from now on I'm keeping a backup generator down here..."
"Good plan."
"I thought so... Just try not to get the powder wet. Otherwise it'll take hours to come off..."
A sudden creepy chuckle from the winter spirit had them all freezing before suddenly...
"Frostbite!"
"Jack!"
"Jack! No water! Be fair!"
Silence...
More faint footsteps as they started walking again...
"... Why the Warren? Why can't we go destroy the Palace or-"
"What about the fairies!"
"... Fair point. All he has to do is smile and they're helpless against his charms..."
"Elves are likewise affected, as are Yeti's, but more due to cookies, da?"
"And don't even mention the googies... They bloody love him."
A small stream of golden sand.
"What's that Sandy? You're glad you don't have helpers?"
"He has a point."
"Da. But that means no forces for aiding the defeat of evil... and pranksters..."
"Mate, Frostbite ain't got nobody aside from a few odd elves. And he's still whuppin our tails."
"Is that the figure of speech?"
"No. But I'm making it Tooth friendly."
"Ah. Fair enoughs."
"Enough."
"Enough what?"
"The figure of speech mate. It's fair enough."
"What figure of speech? Enough of what?"
"... I give up. Just keep walking- WOAH!"
Oomf... Splash...
"Damned it! How did he manage to rig water without a sound?"
"Like I said. Ninja. Not that hard. You okay Sandy?"
A succession of images.
"Huh... Really? He aimed it at us specifically? What can he see in the dark now?"
"Think about it Bunny. Ninja have enhanced senses, Da? Work to hone senses..."
"... Good point. But being this silent is bloody impossible!"
A chuckle.
"That's really bloody creepy Frostbite- GAH!"
"Bunny!"
"Bunny?"
"How on Moon did he do that!?"
"Do what?"
"My bloody ears have bows tied around them and I only just realised..."
Silence...
Laughter.
"It's not funny"
"But... No but... Ohahahaha..."
"Mature Tooth. Come on North-"
"Hohoho..."
"Oh dear Moon, you did not just Ohohoho me!?"
A snort.
"Of course I did not. I would never- TOOTH! THE-"
Yelp.
"... Net of strung elastic... Can you get down?"
"I... Actually, I think I'm stuck..."
The sudden sound of string being cut or snapped, and Tooth yelped, before falling and landing on Bunny, sending him falling backwards, into North, who tripped backwards, triggering another trip wire and squashing Sandy beneath him in the process.
They were all immediately gunged with a wave of green goo, all aside from Sandy who managed to snake his way out in a trail of sand.
"... I hate prank wars."
"Motion seconded."
"Too right mate. Damn it, I swear, this is the last time-"
"Oh, like that will ever happen. You males are far too immature to-"
"Oh, Us males are too immature?"
"What are you trying to say Aster?"
"... Nothing. Let's just get out of here."
Yelps... Splat... Groans... Arguing... Yelps... Splat... Yelps... Groans... Crash... Bang... Poof... Arguing... Yelps... Groans... Arguing...
"About bloody time... North? Grab the orb..."
"Okay... The Palace!"
"Why the palace!"
"Warren is too easy a target. Pole has had fair share of destruction."
"... You are going to be clearing the mess up."
"Done. Let's just go! Before portal closes..."
They all leapt through, blinking at the light, sitting up, still shielding their eyes, only to find themselves surrounded by fairies.
Tooth sighed as she translated.
"They said Jack came by for a visit yesterday... Must have been when we were still recovering from the Pitch Conundrum."
"Ah... Then perhaps we should return to base, Da?"
They ran to get an orb, only to stop, dismayed.
The orbs had gone, and had been replaced with a map and a note.
Tooth read the note, sighing as she realised that any chance of a rest that day was now out of the question.
An orb is hidden at each of the locations marked on the map. A new location will be revealed after each orb has been found. Happy Hunting!
Jack.
North sighed.
"We need orbs. Even if it is just one or two so we can stock up from Pole, Da?"
They all nodded, and Bunny sighed as he peered at the map.
"Okay, first location..." He gulped, face-planting the table, muttering about never underestimating the damned Frostbite again...
Tooth leant over the map, with Sandy and North, and likewise groaned at the spirit's sheer audacity.
"First location. Underneath Pitch's throne, in his lair. How on Moon did he sneak in-"
"It does not matter. We must get orb. And we must never underestimate the Ninja abilities again, agreed?"
"Too right."
"Agreed."
A firm nod from Sandy.
"Okay then... To... Pitch's."
_
Sandy was ridiculously tempted to start playing the Mission Impossible theme tune, but seeing as they were sneaking around the edge of the biggest room in Pitch's lair, it might not be such a good idea.
Still... He was humming it inside his head as they crept, as quietly as they could, through the room.
They finally got close enough to the throne to be able to spot the silent nightmare that was patrolling in front of the throne... And there was the orb.
"We need a distraction..." Bunny whispered, faintly, and they all nodded.
Then, as they all debated, Sandy rolled his eyes, threw golden arrows to get their attention, and mimed waltzing out and distracting the nightmare as they grabbed the orb, then meeting them outside.
They all shared look, before North spoke up.
"You are sure?"
A head nod. Honestly, life was so much easier when he had Jack around to help translate.
They all nodded, and Sandy commenced a silent countdown with his fingers.
Three... Two... One!
He leapt out, and started sauntering across the room, before spinning out of the way of the nightmare, which had come launching itself at him.
The other three ran forward, Tooth grabbing the orb, and dodged the snapping Nightmare and the grinning Sandy, before running out of the tunnel.
Sandy was close behind, and they grinned as they finally burst into the clearing.
Their grins faded, however, when Pitch suddenly materialised in front of them, looking rather annoyed.
"What are you doing here?"
They were about to reply, when they heard a laugh, and span to see Jack.
Who clapped and nodded from his perch on the branch above them.
"Impressive..."
They all backed away sightly, before legging it behind Pitch, using the astounded Nightmare King as a shield. Who stared at them in utter confusion.
"What, In MiM's name, is going on here Frost?"
"Just... A little game."
"Eurgh. Implication being fun?"
"... Well, for me maybe."
"... I approve. Now leave."
He grinned, before snapping a salute and flying away, leaving Pitch to glare at the Guardians, who all shrugged before Bunny tapped a tunnel and they all leapt down it, before taking a tunnel from the Warren back to the palace and the map.
Pitch stared at the spot where they had vanished with a completely bemused look, before he simply rolled his eyes and entered his lair.
Damned Guardians...
_
They all groaned again when they read the location of the next clue.
"You know," Bunny said, as they left, this time deciding to walk it, seeing as it was not far to their next location, "I swear he just picked these to annoy us..."
"Definitely..." Tooth said, sighing. "Why else would Jack hide an orb in a pot of gold in Spectrums house?"
"House? He lives in a rainbow half the time!"
"Yeah... Same difference."
They all finally managed to reach Spectrums permanent office, only to see Shimmer, his assistant, rolling her eyes at them.
"Four guardians? What did he do this time?"
"What did who do this time?"
They all span to see Spectrum, the spirit of rainbows, walk in, in his usual outfit.
He was, as normal, wearing all black with spikes and chains- after he had found out about the human style of Punk Goth, he had never looked back- with multi-colured bangles on his wrist multi-coloured, spiked up hair and a multi-coloured belt to represent the colours of the rainbow.
"Ah, Tooth me old gal! Nice to see you! Sandy, what, in the name of Mother Earth, happened to your sand? Anyone would mistake you for me..."
"Jack Frost."
Bunny simply had to say the two words before Spectrum gave a sharp whistle.
"Ouch, I'd heard... Impressive work-"
"Yeah. For you maybe."
"Now now Azzy, calm yerself."
"Don't call me Azzy."
"Fine, sheesh. Someone's moody. Then again, being bright pink, I guess you have reason to be... Ahem, anyway, what brings you all here?"
North sighed.
"Jack hid one of my portal orbs somewhere here. In one of your 'pots of gold'..."
Spectrum snorted.
"Oh dear, of course he did... Well, let's see if we can get it back for you, shall we?"
He led them into the bar he ran, behind his office, and grinned as he scanned the huge bottles of golden liquid, one of the most popular drinks in the spirit world and one of the most sweet and alcoholic too. It was a favourite pass-time of some people to attempt to drink one of the five litre containers full of the stuff... But only fourteen in the History of the entire bar-bearing in mind it dated back to when it was called a tavern- had ever managed it.
He grinned as he finally found the one he was looking for.
"I'm assuming that this one is it. After all, none of the rest have a small note saying 'Payment is on the side. Please film this? Jack Frost.' after all. Or have a magical orb that seems to be spelled to stay under the liquid... Looks like it will all have to be drunk. Who's up?"
They all shared looks, before Tooth fluttered forward.
"Me I guess. These guys really can't hold their drink."
Spectrum grinned.
"As I recall, even you can't after a point Tooth-"
"Zip it Spec."
"Zipped..."
The few spirits in the bar span, interested, as they realised the Guardians were there. True, they had all heard about Jack's little war, and it was not hard to put two and two together and realise that this was all due to the youngest Guardian.
There interest notched up as Tooth sat herself a the table and lifted the bottle, with a glare at the guys.
"If any of you ever comment on anything I might do or say after this, I will personally floss you into eternity, am I understood?"
They all nodded, knowing well that it was not an idle threat, and she sighed before starting to drink.
After a litre of the drink, she started to get giggley... Two litres had her slightly tipsy. Three, she was a little off balance... Four she was complaining about her job and how she had the worst people to work with... Then she reached four and a half- the point at which the most resilient spirits often gave up on the challenge- at which point she was clearly drunk.
Spectrum was about to recommend that maybe one of the others finished it, when Tooth suddenly tipped it up and downed the remaining half a litre within a few gulps, setting the bottle down, and face-planting the table.
"I hate you all..."
North grabbed the orb as it rolled from the bottle, and grabbed the drunken and unsteady Toothiana with his other arm.
"Okay, I think we'd better get her back before she does something ridiculous."
Tooth was giggling, and suddenly burst into hysterics.
"Tooth!?" Spectrum looked panicked, whereas the Guardians were simply rolling their eyes and sighing at how much of a job they would have keeping her under control.
"Haha, rainbows are funny... and girly... and you're a guy and it's funny..." She dissolved into more giggles, hiccuping, as North handed the orb to Bunny and grabbed Tooth around the waist, throwing her over his shoulder and walking back into the office, Spectrum's glare at the other customers having them pointedly looking at her drinks.
He grinned at them as they left, making them promise to visit again soon, and went to add Tooth's name to the list of people who had passed the challenge.
Now let's see people say the Guardians were too responsible...
_
They realised that they really didn't need to go searching for the other orbs, but they were actually kind of curious as to what Jack had done, and decided to try and get the rest for the sole purpose of seeing just how creative Jack could be... Or, as the still drunk Toothiana put it- Let's see what else Frosty boy came up with inside his pretty little noggin, shall we!?
They hadn't had the heart to refuse the giddily giggly and happy Guardians, which was why they found themselves looking at the next location on the map...
Burgess.
They all sighed at that. Not again...
They arrived in Burgess a few minutes later, having decided to use one of their orbs to get to the Pole, where North got the sleigh to take them.
It was not hard to see the orb. It was encased in a frozen X in the middle of the field. X literally marking the spot... But finding it wasn't the problem...
The problem came in the form of a dozen kids, all facing them with blasters and piles of blue snowballs at their feet, all wearing identical grins.
They all shared a look, or rather, the three guys shared a look as Tooth started making snow angels in one of the patches of snow, giggling still, much to the kids amusement.
North sighed.
"Okay, me and Bunny will provide distraction. Sandy? Get the orb and fly back to Palace, we shall follow in sleigh."
They both nodded, and burst into action.
It was easy enough for Sandy to get to the ice, and he quickly made a dream sand blanket for the ice, which let him melt it enough for him to break in and grab the orb.
He then shot the other two a salute and sped off, sighing and grabbing Tooth as he did so, slinging her over his shoulder as she pouted and crossed her arms in a huff at being taken away from 'the best fight EVER!' And that it was 'Because she was a girl! Wasn't it!?' And that 'They were all old sticks in the mud and wusses'.
North and Bunny were not so lucky...
The kids split off into two groups and one team, led by Cupcake, aimed at the Guardians whilst the other, led by Jamie, hindered them from escaping to the sleigh.
Eventually, North managed to reach the sleigh and rolled his eyes a Bunny, who was being used as a climbing frame by several younger children.
"Bunny! Use the tunnel!"
He nodded, and the kids let go as he tapped a tunnel.
He gave them a quick grin before disappearing, at which point North finally took to the sky himself.
The kids gave each other high fives as they head back, grinning as Jack appeared to congratulate them before flying off again, saying something about having to send out some photos.
Sandy blinked as Bunny appeared out of a tunnel, only a few seconds after he flew in at the window, covered in blue snow and groaning.
"I could sleep for a week..."
Sandy signed something as he deposited a lightly snoring Tooth on a sofa, and Bunny nodded.
"Yeah, North should be here soon. I couldn't get to the sleigh. The little ankle biter's had me surrounded... No, I wasn't outsmarted by a bunch of kids Sandy. No, I was not!... Was not!... Was not!... Was-"
"Do you understand the concept of trying to sleep Aster!?"
"Sorry Tooth..." He waited till she had drifted back off again, and turned back to Sandy, muttering as he shook the snow from his fur.
"Was not-"
"Bunnymund!"
"Shutting up!"
_
They had decided to wait until the morning to try and get the next orb, but the location had them changing their minds.
After all, they were more likely to be able to sneak around April Fool's workshop in the middle of the night as in the middle of the day...
The sheer ludicrous of the assessment had Tooth back to giggling hysterically, singing that the world was going to 'hell in a hand-basket' and something about 'Another one biting the dust'.
None of them asked how on Moon Jack had done it. None of them mentioned that the idea was next to suicidal. None of them mentioned that if Fool caught them sneaking around his workshop, the next hundred years would be unbearable...
They were too eager to see if they could do it.
Tooth, muttering about Bloody Males and their ego's decided to stay behind, half due to the hysterics she was currently having bouts of, and half due to the fact that she might as well get some of her work done... No matter how tipsy- She had whacked Bunny over the head for calling her drunk and the Pooka's resulting yelp had the others reconsidering their terminology-.
The three guys head out, Sandy spreading dreams as the others too the sleigh and catching up as they reached the end of the road were April Fool's shop was located.
Okay, so they simply had to break in, find the huge cardboard cut out of an orb, grab the actual orb beneath it, and escape... preferably without setting off any of the multitude of Booby Traps and pranks that were no doubt waiting for them, because of April Fool's over the top paranoia about his work if nothing else. True, Jack would probably have told him that he was borrowing his workshop for a prank, meaning that there would be even more booby traps and defensive measures set up, but they were the Guardians! They could sneak into the lair of the Prank Artist!
Simple...
Or not.
At all.
They all sighed as they stood outside the store, before heading forward.
Sandy head in first, using a trail of sand to click the lock and let them in.
They quickly head through the store, to the door on the far side, letting Sandy do the same thing, and opening the door... Only to gasp.
The room was huge! And there, on the other side of the cluttered space, likely crawling with tripwires and sensors, was a huge cardboard cut out of an orb.
Suddenly, a voice sounded from beside them.
They relaxed slightly when they realised it was pre-recorded.
"Okay, Frostie has told me of his little plan, and I was more than happy to let him borrow my workshop. Needless to say, if any of the many traps are set off tonight, I will most certainly not be amused. Unlike some eternally active Winter spirits, I actually like my sleep. And I do not like it interrupted... You've had you're warning. Oh, and don't touch anything. That means you too Aster Bunnymund!"
The voice vanished, and Bunny, who had literally just been about to touch a small device, instantly pulled his hand back.
They all shared looks, and sighed, before stepping further into the room.
Too late to turn back now...
It took them nearly an hour to traverse the space.
Each step was examined from all angles by Sandy, and his every move was examined by the other two, and so they managed to avoid the twenty three trip wires they found.
They were also careful to not touch anything at all, though there were a few close calls.
The entire trek had North doing acrobatics and freezing in ridiculous positions that he had not even known he was capable of, and they all gave a huge sigh of relief as they reached the far side of the room...
North was just about to reach for the orb when he froze.
"I am not believing it..."
Sandy and Bunny noticed the last defence mechanism a moment later, and groaned.
A web of fine wires was strung around the orb, and a switch which clearly released the wires to allow the orb out.
After a few seconds, it became clear that there was only one way to get through the tangles mess of wires without a fairy to help, and Sandy formed a light trickle of sand.
The next ten minutes were some of the most stressful and tense that they had ever experienced as Sandy let the sand gently work it's way around the maze of wires.
Finally, he pressed down on the switch, and snatched the orb out, cradling it.
They all heaved sighs of relief, and North tucked the orb into a pocket, accidentally dislodging a cookie.
"NO!"
Sandy dived just as Bunny cried out, and managed to catch the cookie before it could land on a trip wire.
Moon only knew what would happen if even the slightest pressure was placed on one of them...
They spent the next half an hour carefully recreating their route, Bunny all the while talking about the dangers of cookies on missions and how they should never tell Tooth as she would end up spreading the story of how they had almost been ousted by a cookie, Sandy agreeing with him with silent gestures, and they all breathed huge sighs of relief as they reached the doorway...
Then North slipped on a Banana skin which had most assuredly not been there before, and pulled on a lever to stop himself falling.
As soon as the lever was pulled down, however, all of the trip wires were lifted out of the way, all of the sensors were switched off and the proper lights were turned on, leaving a perfectly safe room. Which they could have traversed with total ease, and could have been in and out within minutes.
They all shared looks, and silently decided to never mention this moment again. Ever. Then they shut the door behind them and left, each mentally face-palming themselves.
The following morning, Tooth was feeling slightly better, though the start of a hangover was creeping up on her, giving her cravings for sugary snacks, and they looked at the next location on the map, before simultaneously sighing and turning to face the table in the corner, where, sure enough, four boxes lay.
Brilliant...
There was a box labelled for each of them, as well as a wooden puzzle.
And instructions.
Okay, so... There was a key inside the puzzle. They had to solve the puzzle to get the key to open the box and get the orb. It was to, apparently, give them a break.
They had to admit, it was creative...
Bunny cursed as he finally solved the puzzle and the key fell into his palm, just as North's did. The other two hadn't been much faster, though Tooth could have probably had it done inside half an hour if she wasn't constantly flitting back and forth to fetch chocolate and other sugary snacks, much to Baby Tooth's delight. She was glad that Jack's plan had worked out...
Without the others realising, she flew off and sent a quick message to Jack with a messenger egg, saying that Tooth had succumbed to a Sugar-Rush addiction.
Three hours. Three bloody hours it had take to solve the puzzle.
Bunny growled to himself as he hopped to the boxes.
He unlocked the box and set the orb join the others, a few seconds before North's did, and he sank into a chair, sighing.
"So much for a break. This was worse than the full blown battles!"
"True there. I was not aware puzzles could be so difficult! It would have been easier to have-"
"Don't jinx it! Seriously!" Tooth literally slapped her hands over their mouths to stop them from talking, before glaring at them.
"No jinxing it." Then she let them go, and flew over to the table.
Then she blinked.
"Oh no... He cannot be serious..."
"What?"
"The rest of the orbs... They are hidden at various places throughout..." she gulped, "The Monastery..."
They all shared looks, and North flexed his fingers.
"Well, comrades, it has been nice knowing you. Shall we suit up?"
"Let's."
"Of course."
A flash of golden sand, revealing Sandy in full army gear, was also a clear affirmitive, and they all head to the base to get suited up.
They knew it was ridiculous. They didn't have to go and get the orbs...
But they would be damned if they were going to chicken out.
After everything else, how bad could it be...?
_
Jack grinned as one of the Yeti's, Yeti Bob, told him that the sleigh had just landed in the monastery.
Perfect.
Now to set his many traps in motion...
First of all, the trail of the most appetising sugary treats he had been able to find...
And how did he know that Tooth would follow the trail? Well, let's just say it was useful to have allies...
Tooth blinked as she reached for a chocolate bar, only to find that they were not there.
"Guys! THE CHOCOLATE HAS GONE!"
They all froze, then shared panicked looks.
A Toothiana, in the midst of a Sugar Rush addiction, without access to sugar?
Too terrifying a thought to entertain...
Still, they had enough sense to shout a warning as Tooth caught sight of a chocolate bar poking from the pocket of one of the yeti's belts.
But it went unheeded and she eagerly grabbed the chocolate when it was offered to her, not noticing the grin the yeti gave, and downed it in a few mouthfuls.
"NEED MORE CHOCOLATE! Come on, he's a teenager! Surely he has chocolate around here!?"
The three guys shared a look, before sighing and following her as she darted through one of the corridors... Trap, maybe, but it would be better than Tooth on a sugar high hangover comedown... That one other time, oooh, a hundred or so years ago, was still being told in legend form at Christmas parties world wide...
None of them, as they left, noticed Baby Tooth munching happily on chocolate, that she had secretly stashed under the seat during the flight.
Tooth flitted backwards and forwards throughout the different rooms, actually finding most of the orbs in her quest for sugar, and activating dozens of booby traps. From the simple trip wire and bucket of paint, to the one they had just been subject too, namely the floor sliding from beneath them and sending them on a yell filled trip down an ice chute, to the ice slide that dropped two floors.
They were currently picking themselves up from a deep pile of snow- In which not even Bunnymund's ears reached the surface- and Tooth was quick to brush off the snow as she spotted a sign that must have come from MiM himself...
Namely an arrow that pointed down, at a table with some of Jack's best cookies-still warm and oozing chocolate- resting there on a plate.
Now, even in their normal state, none of the guardians had ever been able to resist them, though the fact that they were currently at war with the spirit made Bunny and Sandy strong willed enough to resist temptation.
Even North managed it, with a little help restraining himself from Bunny.
Tooth however, though she fought valiantly against the temptation, was starting to suffer withdrawal symptoms from the lack of sugar, and even Sandy's dream sand-even though it was only the lighter stuff- couldn't fight against the determined Fairy Queen, who reached the table and grabbed one of the cookies.
The moans of pure ecstasy were almost enough to crack the other,s but they managed to hold firm, and prized Tooth away from the treats, but not before their purpose became clear.
Tooth blinked as she caught sight of her reflection in a sheet of ice, and yelped when she realised that her teeth were... Green!?
More specifically, pretty much the exact same green as Jacks hair when she had dyed it...
So this was why no-one wanted to get on his bad side...
But, she reasoned, her Sugar Cravings getting the better of her, he prank had already occurred, so there was no reason to waste perfectly good cookies.
The others were completely astounded when she simply went back to eating the cookies, and shared looks.
So... Jack had revenge in mind?
They all thought back to various times they had annoyed or managed to get the spirit recently, and all three simultaneously gulped.
Bunny was sure that Jack would not forgive him nearly ruining his jacket...
North was sure that Jack would not easily forgive making him slip on a slippery floor and crash into a pyramid of balls...
Sandy remembered the time he had given Jack a dream of him and Pitch skipping in circles in a field of flowers whilst wearing matching pink outfits that said Best Friends Forever on them...
Jack grinned from his perch in the top corner of the ceiling, as he realised they were just understanding the depth of their mistake in coming here, and cheerfully hopped down, sliding down the side and coming to a smooth landing in front of the Guardians.
"Hey guys. I hear the Spirit world is buzzing of news that one of the Guardians managed to pass the 'Pot Of Gold' challenge. In fact, it's inspired several rather put out spirits to attempt it. I have to say, Spectrum looked rather happy about the business boom."
The others were all too shocked and nervous about his close proximity and causal air to have paid much attention to that, and Jack grinned.
"So... Bunny? I just thought I would let you know. I think that the fact you're gonna be pink for the next week or so has kinda filled out my desire for prank retribution. Time honoured tradition you know... But I'm still rather out out about the Pyramid fiasco North... And the dream Sandy..."
The two spirits in question backed up slightly, ending up behind Tooth, who simply rolled her eyes at them using her as a shield before returning to her cookies.
Jack grinned, hopping into the air and letting the wind grab him.
"So... Have fun!"
With that, the whole snow platform they were on gave way, and they were al falling down a snow bank.
They came to rest at at a doorway to the training room, and North groaned as he saw what faced them.
The way back was blacked, and the other doors had been shut, leaving the only way out on the other side of the room... But to get there, they had to pass through said room, which was filled with huge pyramids of rubber balls, huge snowballs, huge pyramids of bubbles and yeti guards with blasters.
Brilliant...
They others all sighed as they took it in, and Bunny resolved to ask North just what he had done to annoy Jack so badly, before Tooth suddenly darted from the doorway and dove behind a pile of rubber balls, Sandy doing the same thing on another pile, this time of snowballs.
"Move! Duck and Cover Serpentine manoeuvre and DON'T KNOCK DOWN THE PYRAMIDS!"
They both blinked.
Tooth is sugar induced Warrior Queen mode?
Who were they to argue with that?
They both leapt behind different piles, and so began the strangest game of Cat and Mouse they had ever played.
They managed to reach the middle of the room before disaster struck, and Tooth was blasted with a paint splatter, which sent her tumbling into Sandy, who ended up being thrown backwards.
He crashed into a pile of rubber balls, which sent them flying everywhere...
The rubber balls knocked into piles of snowballs, sending them tumbling everywhere, piles of bubbles, which splattered everywhere, including over the guardians, and into other rubber ball piles, which caused the entire process to repeat itself.
They all broke rank after that, sprinting for the far door, and Tooth sank against the wall when she reached the safety of the corridor. Sandy soon joined her, letting his dream sand umbrella fall, and Bunny was not long after, though he ended up sliding from the room and crashing into the other wall, before getting back up and sighing.
They waited for a few more seconds, but North didn't appear, and they peered back in, only to laugh at the scene which met them.
North, it appeared, had been blocked in by a pile of rubber balls, and had finally seemed to have simply given up. He was now sat in the middle of the room, arms crossed and with a scowl on his face, the odd snowball or rubber ball landing on his head, with a comical plonk, as it was dislodged by the Yeti's.
He waited till the chaos in the room had steadied, before he got to his feet and fought his way through the bubble and snow strewn floor, slipping a couple of times before he reached the corridor.
"I am swearing, I will never prank Jack again."
"You pranked him!? Mate, what did you do!"
"Made floor slippery and sent him into pyramid of balls which fell on top of him, in front of workshop full of Yeti's and elves."
The others gaped at the sheer guts of the man in front of them, before Bunny shook his hand, very formally.
"Rarely have I seen acts of such bravery my friend."
"I thank you..." North said, returning the hand shake, before turning to Sandy.
"But what dream did he speak of?
Sandy blinked, before shaking his head and putting a finger to his lips.
"Surely is not as bad as all that?"
Sandy simply gulped and nodded, before a voice came from behind them.
"It was."
They all span to see Jack, leaning against a wall and with a dangerous glint of mischief in his eyes.
"Almost as bad as every other prank played on me put together... Let's just say that the content of the dream still gives me nightmares... Which is why retribution will not be coming from me. Yup, that's right Sanderson. Pitch knows... I would feel bad about pranking you when I already know Pitch has something set up which will irritate you for quite some time..."
"Irritate?"
"Uhuh. Seems he caught the Pranking bug. Anyway want to surrender yet?"
"Never!" This was Tooth, who gave her best warrior queen pose. "You may have won the battle, but you will not win the war! I call for a full battle to declare a victor!"
"Time?"
"Three days from now. Daybreak."
"Location?"
"The usual. The plain outside Santoff Claussen."
"Restrictions?"
"Nothing permanent. The battle will continue until the last man on either side, or until one side offers total, complete and unconditional surrender. No breaks, unless agreed upon by the leading parties of both teams."
"Allies?"
"We shall call on all those who aided us, and as many more as we can find."
"Ah good. Finally, a proper work out. You've got yourself a deal Princess."
They shook hands, and Jack grinned.
"So, three days time... Until then, allow me to leave you a prating gift."
He grinned, whistling, before floating into the air and zooming off, leaving a faint rumbling sound behind.
They all span just in time to yelp as a huge snowball sped down the corridor towards them, before rolling over them and leaving them in a huge pile of snow.
Bunny sighed.
"Tooth? You know what happened last time we had a full out war..."
"But this time he will be on his own. Surely not even Jack can win this one?"
hey all shared looks, before pulling themselves out of the snow and heading back towards the sleigh, ready to start making preparations. None of them mentioning that Jack would likely be pulling out all the stops on this one...
And using every skill he had.
Ah well, it would be interesting- Thunk.
"Damn it Frostbite! Stop throwing elves at me! "
Me: So... What did you think...? Good enough for the 50th chapter...? I know I exceeded the 6000 word limit, so yippee for that! (Though the end could have been a little more creative I suppose... And sorry it was a bit later than planned) And the arc will be concluded in the next chapter, which will have the biggest battle scene I have ever written, or am ever likely to write again.
Anyways, I'm afraid I can't say much, as the Looney-Tunes battle has just exploded-literally- from the contained ball of flailing limbs and smoke to my training room... Where Bugs and Daffy are now duelling with lightsabers, Calamity Sam and Wil-e-Coyote are shooting at Road runner with blasters, and Tweety has decided to try out being evil, and is currently at war with everyone else having made multiple clones that are seven foot high and like singing disney love songs.
So, I'm afraid I will have to leave you with Vader as I help the last of the Jack convention guests to their own universes, attempt to pry Jackie Chan, Jack Frost, Jack Sparrow and Jack Harkness from the toon battle, and generally try to leave my mind palace let standing... *sigh* Vader? Fill in?
Vader: Of course. Though I have t say, this is quite a 50th chapter party, eh?
Me: *face palm* Men and their battles... Catch you later guys! *pulls out lightsaber and a cream pie and rushes into the fight*
Vader: Right... Okay, so... Actually I don't think there is anything to say. Hope you enjoyed he chapter, hope those of you with the requests enjoyed how they were written, and hope you all look forward to the next chap- SYLVESTER! THAT CRAM IE HIT ME!
Me: *shrugging sheepishly* Actually, that was me... Sorry!
Vader: … *Sighs* I give up. Okay, Until next time, Younglings. Oh, and MEC? I do not appreciate being called 'daddy vader'
Me: *calling over whilst holding Porky pig in a headlock with one arm and battling Bugs Bunny with my lightsaber with my other* Ignore him! I think it's cute! He just doesn't want to ruin his precious bad boy image...
Vader: *scowls* If you will all excuse me? *spins and throws a cream pie at me*
Me: *freezes in shock as it hits my shoulder and explodes* (I'll never say this to him, but I actually like strawberry ;) )
Everyone else, including all the Jack's: *likewise freeze, before hastily running for the exits, scrambling to get out and shouting about coming by some other time*
Me: *spinning slowly* Did you just... Throw a cream pie at me...?
Vader: *stepping back* Well... 50th chapter... Had to do something to amuse the readers...
Me: … *mutters to you guys* Normal authors have nice speeches or maybe virtual fireworks displays or cookies. I get splattered with cream pies after a war with the Looney Tunes. What does that tell you, eh? *suddenly shoots an evil maniacal grin at Vader* Amuse the readers? How about them seeing you having your backside handed to you?
Vader: Okay, now there is no need to- AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH! *pulls out lightsaber, blocks a couple of strikes and legs it around the room*
Me: *chasing him* This is GREAT! Don't worry guys, I'll leave him in one piece for the next chapter... Maybe... *Evil grin as I pull out another cream pie from my, ridiculously larger on the inside than the outside, cape* Until next time! *throws pie and fist pumps as it splats, right on target, on Vader's back*
Vader: *spins and throws one of his own, which splatters over my outfit*
Me: *growling* I loved that cape... *winks at you guys* I knew there was a reason I chose him. The only candidate who could hold his own in a battle... Ah well, See ya!
RobynSmith- Hope you enjoyed the prank you requested :D And the chapter as a whole, Lol :D And Im glad you enjoyed the last chapter! That moment with Shady was one of my faves too!
Gamecocks awesom- Glad you're enjoying! Hope you continue to do so :D
SilverFrost- That might have been interesting... Ah well, I kinda like Shady as a Guy :D
Silverwolf- I love the plane idea! I'm not planning too many more chapters now, but I'll see if I can put it in! Cheers for the idea :D
Hacker44- Well, Glad I could give you a decent welcome back present, Lol :D Glad you enjoyed the Jack convention as well, and that is my all-time fave line from Pirates of the Caribbean, Lol :D As well as 'Stop blowing holes in my ship!' and 'I got a jar of dirt!'
And yes, he got the pink out. Took an awful lot of soap, but we managed it, Lol :D Good thing too. It was his favourite one :D
Guest- Thanks! Glad you enjoyed!
MEC- Glad you enjoyed the different outfits, Lol :D I had fun thinking them up and incorporating your ideas :D And yep, GO CUTENESS! I swear Jack could take over the world with that look if he wanted to, Lol :D
And *sigh* Water over someone's head? So cliché... Go on, show him how it's done :D
Oh, and why of course! Jack conventions are awesome! Though kinda tiring...
And thanks :D I'm glad you're enjoyng it! Yo Vader! Say bye!
Vader: *from where he is sorting through various light-sabers debating the merits of them with Luke* Oh, Hi MEC! Bye MEC!
Me: Aww, father-son bonding time... How sweet :D Well, Till next time!