I'm back, with a new chapter! All the reviews are appreciated, they make my day. The part where Pitch and Jack are trying to combine their powers, is almost happening at the same time the other Guardians are trying to save Tooth's life.
Disclaimer: Hmm…. Nah don't own ROTG
Again
He came to hate that word. The word brought up memories by itself. Relentless hours of trying to combine their powers only to have it end up futile. They had made no improvement and he could tell that Pitch was getting furious. Not only that, but he was exhausted.
His hair was plastered onto his forehead, little beads of sweat rolled down his face. His breath came in short pants that made his ribs ache. His arms trembled and his legs were starting to wobble. Eyelids were shutting on him, and no matter how hard he tried, they kept closing. His head started to sag, and he violently jerked it up so the spikes wouldn't dig into his skin.
"Again." Pitch ordered. He swallowed knowing his part was up next. Tired eyes watched as Pitch swirled his fingers, twisting the sand in the air. He took a ragged breath before straightening up. He extended his arms out, concentrating. Wrinkles formed in his forehead as his eyes scrunched up in deep thought. Slowly he blocked out everything around him, solely focused on bringing out his powers.
He extended his senses out, trying to find the once familiar power, he now didn't recognize. Once he sensed it, he wrapped around it, tugging on it. He could feel it being expelled out of his hands. He opened his eyes in time to see his power shoot out and hit Pitch's sand. He grimaced, as the sand started to freeze around the corners. But unlike the other times the sand didn't break apart. It stayed solid, not crumbling into little frozen chunks.
He blinked, as a little bit of excitement ran down his body. He looked up at Pitch, who was staring at the sand with an intense look. Finally after a moment he turned his gaze towards him. "Again." The word came out harshly making him shrink back. He nodded timidly, feeling even more nervous.
He waited as Pitch formed his sand, before trying to expel his powers. This time when he found it he dug even deeper. He wasn't sure but he thought his mouth had opened and his hand was stretched out in front of him.
He could feel the vibration of his power as it coursed through him. He let out a breath before expelling it. This time he didn't open his eyes to see what happened. His legs gave out beneath him, and he was falling towards the ground. A small cry passed through his chapped lips. Sand curled around him holding him up, saving him from hitting the floor. He forced himself to open his eyes.
Pitch was grinning gleefully, something that looked twisted on him. A whining sound in the middle of the room caught his attention. His eyes flickered towards it, only to widen a moment later. Horror filled him, along with a shot of guilt. His mouth opened slightly as he stared at the creature. Standing in the middle of the room was a Nightmare, one that was laced with his power.
It shined every time it moved, the blue that was en-laced with, gave it the illusion that it was sparkling. As it came closer he realized that the reason it was shining was because it had frozen over. A thin layer of ice coated its body. Some parts had formed such a thick layer to the point where it was blue. It blended into its skin, making it look even more dangerous. As Pitch stretched his hand out petting it on its head, he realized he had made a monster.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Pitch asked him, still petting the Nightmare. He was so entranced with the Nightmare that he didn't answer. Pitch's golden eyes found his and he immediately found himself drowning in the coldness they held. Pitch let out a hollow laugh. "What's with the horrified face? No matter, I finally managed to get our powers together."
More guilt threatened to bubble up in his chest. He shouldn't have helped Pitch. He shouldn't have helped him make that Nightmare. That monster. His shoulders slumped. Pitch kept his gaze on him for a couple of more moments, his golden eyes staring at him with an intensity that made his own blue eyes look down. Pitch grinned, but he missed it as his gaze was on the floor.
A snap echoed through the silent room, making him jerk his head up. He looked at him anxiously, remembering the last time he had snapped his fingers. He relaxed slightly as the sand behind him disappeared. A second later a whimper filled the room as the spikes on his neck retreated. His hands flew to his neck feeling his swollen skin. His skin burned at the touch, and he forced himself to move his hand away.
Finally he was free, at least from the collar. He no longer had something on him that said he was Pitch's property. "You know, now that I think about it, I have a better idea." Pitch interrupted his thoughts. He had a better idea? Dark ideas flashed before his mind filling him with the all too familiar fear. "You're going to come with me, and you're going to help me destroy his lair."
As soon as Pitch's words were out of his mouth, his eyebrows rose in shock. His mouth whispered out the question he didn't dare himself to ask. "What?" The question was whispered, but it drifted through the room. He found himself staring once more at Pitch's eyes. Cruel, golden eyes stared back at him. "You're going to help me destroy Bunny's lair, until there's nothing left of it."
Bunny. The name alone brought up long lost memories. He still remembered how cold his eyes were when he had stared at him. When he had abandoned him. He twitched slightly, at the thought. How did Pitch want him to destroy his home? He didn't want to ruin his lair. He didn't want to harm anybody. But, a dark thought barged in his mind, Bunny himself told you that you killed those children. That he had killed everybody.
No, he thought, that wasn't true. It had all been a dream, a nightmare. Or had it? He couldn't even tell the difference between reality and nightmares anymore. Both of them were entwined together so tightly. Even if he had killed those kids, Bunny protected them. He gave them hope to keep believing. He didn't want to take that away from the children. He didn't deserve to take it away.
"But-"He instantly cut himself off. What was he doing? Was he actually contemplating the idea of refusing? "But, what?" The question was asked with a sharpness to it that threatened to slice through him. He cringed. Why did he do that? He was fine, until he opened his mouth. His opinion didn't count, he shouldn't have said anything.
"I-I don't really w-want to d-destroy Bunny's h-home." He stuttered through the whole sentence, trying to swallow the fear that was already rising. It burned at his chest, suffocating him. Pitch's laugh echoed through the room. It held an amusement that was clearly noticeable.
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know that your opinion counted." Pitch's words were laced with sarcasm. He shook his head lightly, rushing to correct himself. "I-I just don't want to s-see B-Bunny." He half-way lied. It was true to a certain point. He didn't want to see Bunny. Especially if he was there to destroy his home. Even if it wasn't the whole truth, but he wasn't going to admit that to Pitch.
"Oh, Jack you know you can't hide the truth from me. I know your fears." Pitch scolded him. His name made him breathe slightly faster. "You're going to help me one way or the other." Alarm sketched itself on his face. "I know that by now you know that I get my way. This time it's going to be no different."
He looked up at him puzzled. He knew Pitch had something up his sleeve, he always did. "And if you think otherwise then I have a little something to change your mind." Pitch's words were dripping with malicious. He took a tentative step backwards. He was aware of the spike in Pitch's moods. They suddenly switched so fast that sometimes he couldn't catch up with them.
"There's enough reasons for you to do what I'm ordering you to do." This time when Pitch spoke he didn't hesitate to believe him.
Time seemed to slow down as the heart monitor went flat. His legs sprang forward as he rushed over to North's side. North was still standing there motionless. Bunny didn't waste a second and shoved North, trying to get him to snap out of the daze he was in. North jerked away from him, startled by his sudden action. He rubbed his chest where he had pushed him, but his blue eyes were now alert.
He nodded swiftly to him, before walking over to help the yetis. Bunny moved over to where Sandy had floated away to give the yetis more space. Sandy turned his head towards him, catching his eye. Bunny could see the panic that was swirling behind the calm front he had put up. Anybody else wouldn't have been able to see the uneasiness that Sandy was desperately trying to hide. Anybody but Bunny, he knew him to well to not be able to tell.
Sandy floated over until he was next to him, and pulled on his hand motioning for him to follow him. He glanced hesitantly over his shoulder to where Tooth wasn't breathing. Sandy immediately caught the look, and smiled. He pointed at the chair that was placed against the wall. Bunny looked at Tooth again before walking towards it.
Once he reached it, he plopped down on it. Bunny pulled on his best scowl, and crossed his arms over his chest. Sandy gave him a glare that immediately made him uncross his arms, and straighten up. He remembered the last time Sandy had given him that glare. He looked at Sandy more closely as he started forming images. A tooth, followed by a thumbs up.
Bunny understood him instantly. "You think she's going to be okay?" He asked, a small trickle of nervousness leaking into his voice.
Sandy nodded. A question mark appeared over his head, before he pointed at him. Bunny took a moment before answering. "Yes, but I can't help feeling that this is all my fault." As he spoke he looked behind Sandy towards Tooth. The yetis were trying to restart her heart, but the heart monitor stayed flat. Even more dread started to creep into his heart.
Sandy's golden hands were waving in front of his face. He tore his gaze from Tooth to focus on Sandy. He understood what Sandy was trying to do. Trying to distract him so he wouldn't see what was happening to Tooth. Even with Sandy's effort his whole mind was focused on her. He frowned as an egg appeared over his head, followed by what he assumed was him hiding them. Then it showed the face of a child, who had found one of his eggs. He stared at Sandy puzzled.
Sandy frowned, thinking of a different way to explain what he wanted to say. A picture of an egg, followed by a bunch of symbols. Bunny blinked. "Hope." He said, getting an idea of what Sandy was trying to say. Sandy nodded enthusiastic that he had understood him. He formed more pictures above his head. A flower that seemed to shine with life appeared, a moment later it started to crumble and die. He repeated the same thing with an egg.
He message couldn't have been any clearer to him. You're losing hope. His mouth opened slightly in comprehension. He was the Guardian of Hope, what was he doing? If he lost hope, he would be betraying his own center. He nodded, smiling at Sandy. Sandy grinned back, tilting his head to the side.
At that moment a steady beep filled the room. His neck snapped to the side at an astounding speed. On the screen was Tooth's pulse, which meant that she was breathing, that she was alive. He let out a shaky breath. Bunny felt Sandy's small hand on his shoulder. He looked up a smile adorning his face. Sandy motioned towards Tooth. Taking a breath, he got up, his knees wobbling slightly as he walked over towards her.
He acknowledged the yeti that patted him on the back, but his attention was on Tooth. He took in how pale Tooth was, her skin a pale white. It was a drastic comparison to the bright feathers that surrounded her. His eyes traveled down towards where the injury was now neatly stitched up. Green eyes watered slightly in relief.
From the peripheral vision he saw North walking towards his direction. He ignored him and fixed his gaze on Tooth. North shifted from one foot to the other. It was clear North wanted to talk to him. North cleared his throat breaking the awkward silence that had formed. He forced his eyes to leave Tooth to look at North's piercing blue eyes.
"Bunny, about what I said earlier, I want to apologize. I realize that I was harsh with my words." He stopped looking at him expectantly. Bunny inclined his head slightly, indicating that he was paying attention. "I know you're feeling guilty, but it wasn't your fault." North said. Bunny was becoming conscious of the fact that North was testing the water. Trying to figure out what would invoke a response from him.
He lowered his head. "How can it not be my fault? I was the one who told her to go save Sandy. If I hadn-"He was cut off abruptly by North, as he stopped him. This time it was him who fidgeted.
"If you hadn't Sandy wouldn't be alive. You did the correct thing, and either way one of them was going to get hurt. There was no way you would have known what was going to happen." When he raised his head up, he was astounded by the sincerity in his face.
He found himself fumbling with his words. His mind was starting to work through the certain truth North had laid out. He knew in his heart he wasn't to blame, but his mind was battling against it. Dark tendrils were snaking around his mind, making him once more feel the full pressure of the guilt.
"North, I know you'd be feeling the same thing if you were in my spot. I should have known that Pitch wouldn't hesitate to hurt Tooth. I was a fool to think otherwise." The next thing he knew he was inches away from North's face. North's hands were on his shoulders, but this time they were simply on top of them. "You know Tooth wouldn't want you to be blaming yourself. She would never blame you." North words made his ears drop low.
He gave a defeated sigh. "I know."
North shook his head. "You're still blaming yourself." He stated. Bunny glanced quickly at Tooth before staring back at North. He had to make sure she was still breathing. "I know she wouldn't want me to be blaming myself but I still can't help but feel like I could have done something." Bunny explained.
North nodded, before speaking. "At this point there's so many things that we could have done. But the point is we didn't because there was nothing we could have done, and what is done is done." He said. Bunny rubbed his arm. "I don't think the guilt will go away any time soon, but I also know that Tooth wouldn't want me blaming myself." He said. He could almost hear Tooth's voice in his head, castling him. The small chuckle he let out went unnoticed by North.
"We're going to teach him a lesson he'll never forget. Pitch will never dare to mess with us again." Bunny stated. He wasn't going to forgive him for almost killing Tooth. "We also need to get Jack back from the clutches of Pitch. I don't know how we will, but we will."
North drummed his fingers on the surface of a cabinet. "It's true we need to get Jack back. We can't risk Pitch harming him, but I think this discussion is better intended outside." He motioned with his head towards Tooth. Bunny glanced at her. A yeti was on the other side of her, a clipboard in its hand, checking her vitals.
He observed him for a moment, before looking back at North. "Yeah you're right the infirmary isn't the best place to talk." North waved his hand towards Sandy, who had been watching them. "Come on Sandy." He called out. North said something to yeti who had wandered towards him, before walking towards the door. Bunny stole one last glance at Tooth before following him out the door.
He quickly caught up to North and settled besides him. Sandy was at North's other side a moment later. "We know Pitch was aiming for Sandy, but his attempt failed." Bunny decided to break the silence, as they turned a corner.
"We must make sure that Sandy does not get injured. We cannot afford to lose another one of us. The same thing also goes to you Bunny." North advised him. Bunny scuffed. He already knew that, he didn't need North to warn him.
"There's no way I'm letting Pitch do anything to me or any of you guys. I'm already angry." His voice came out heavy. He caught North's surprised look, before he quickly composed himself. Bunny kept his gaze steady, pretending not to notice as they went down a flight of stairs. "Now that he's failed at eliminating Sandy, he's going to try his hardest to destroy Easter. So we have to make sure this is the best Easter ever." Bunny said.
North and Sandy nodded agreeing with him. "As much as this pains me to say, Easter is more important than Christmas. This time." North walked ahead of them as they got closer to the globe. Bunny halted in his tracks, his eyes widening. His mouth hung open, for a moment before it snapped shut.
"Did I just hear what I think I did? Did you hear that Sandy?" He exclaimed, jumping up to meet North. North who was staring at globe, glanced down at him. "Just this one time." He said, giving him a knowing look. Bunny flashed him an innocent look, but as soon as he turned around he shot Sandy a grin.
"We only have a couple of hours left." Bunny said, his face turning serious once again. "We have to get moving if we want to give this the best shot. We have to leave right now." He waited as North stared at Sandy, who flashed a thumbs up. North nodded back at him. Bunny didn't hesitate and tapped his foot.
The ground below them disappeared, and they disappeared. A moment later Bunny was the first one to jump out. North following behind him, with Sandy being the last one to come out. As soon as Bunny stepped out he immediately knew something was off. He brought his hand up, warning the others behind him. They halted in their step as Bunny scanned the area looking for any intruder.
"What is it Bunny?" North whispered. He saw his arm move, and he assumed North was taking out his swords. He inched forward slightly. "There's someone here." He answered, not taking his eyes off the scene that was in front of him. His hands moved automatically towards his weapons. They wrapped around them, gripping them tightly. Bunny cautiously stepped forward. He motioned for them to follow him.
Suddenly something white flashed in front of his face, and the next thing he knew he was on the floor. He felt something crawling up his chest, putting pressure on it. He scrambled away getting up in a hurry. Bunny looked down to see what had attacked him, only to let out a sigh as he saw what it was. As he bent down, North gave out a light chuckle. Bunny smiled lightly as he scooped the eggs up.
He brought them close to his chest, hugging them protectively. North bent down and picked one up. "Weird." He said, as he dangled it upside down, by its feet. "Nah, mate it's adorable." Bunny said as he gently placed them on the floor by a boulder. He squared his shoulders more determined. "Come on, something's really wrong." He said.
Sandy nodded, agreeing with him. Together they started walking towards the tunnel. As he got closer he realized the air was colder. He shivered slightly, but kept walking. As he took a step the grass underneath him crunched, making him look down. The grass was covered in frost. His eyes scrunched in confusion. Why was there frost on the ground? That couldn't be possible.
"Bunny, is that frost?" North asked. He nodded. "Yeah, but I don't know why." He kept walking, adding more speed. As they neared the edge, the air turned freezing, to the point where Bunny could see his own breath. He looked back at North and Sandy who were also shivering. He kept trudging on, until they got to the edge. There was snow on the ground, mixed in with ice that slithered up the walls.
Sandy who hadn't done anything until know, tapped Bunny to get his attention. He looked down at him. A snowflake appeared over his head, followed by a staff. Green eyes looked over at North who had stopped besides him. He shrugged a look of confusion also on his face. Sandy pointed towards the snow, then at the staff that he had formed.
"The snow, and a staff." Bunny mumbled. His eyes widened and his head shot up. "That can't be possible!" He exclaimed. Sandy nodded solemnly. North who still hadn't understood what Sandy had been hinting at asked, "What is it?" Bunny turned to him. He felt his heart tighten in his chest as he forced the words out of his mouth.
"Sandy's saying that this is Jack's power, but that can't be possible, because he's in Pitch's hands, and he would never do this." He said. As the words left his mouth he felt a seed of doubt in his mind. North's eyes widened.
"Jack." North mumbled under his breath. He looked down at the snow, then at Sandy. "It's possible that Pitch forced him to do this." North suggested. Bunny complemented the idea. It was a possibility. The Jack Bunny knew would never do something like this. At least not by his own free will. It couldn't be possible.
"That's a possibility. If it is Jack, then this is our chance to get him back." Bunny said. There was no way Bunny would mess up on this chance. It could be his only chance to fix what he had done wrong. To make things right. "It's our best shot to getting him back, and defeating Pitch." North's tone held an edge to it. Bunny nodded, positioning his arms so they would be able to throw his boomerangs at moment's notice.
"Well, there's no use in waiting. If Pitch is already here, let's give him a warm welcome." Bunny said. With that he jumped from the tunnel out into the open. As he caught sight of his surroundings his arms slacked in surprise. North and Sandy looked around in shock, and horror. His whole lair was trashed.
The ground was covered in several feet of snow. As he looked closer he noticed that there was broken egg shells all over the ground. Some of the egg shells were half buried while other ones were lying on top of the snow. Plants covered in ice. Ice that jagged around the edges. He clutched his chest as he saw the river of colors frozen solid. Completely frozen.
He slouched slightly, until he collapsed on his knees. North put a hand on his shoulder, silently comforting him. He swallowed. Did Pitch really make Jack do all this? His whole lair was ruined. How was he going to bring hope to all the children, like this? Maybe they were looking at this the wrong way? What if Jack had joined Pitch?
Even if Jack was being forced to do this, he wouldn't do it to this extreme. With a snarl he got back up to his feet. "Pitch! Get out here! Bring that little traitor Jack out too!" He heard North gasp. "Bunny what are you doing?" Bunny ignored him and continued to look around trying to find Pitch. He knew he was still in the Warren.
"What am I doing? I just had a thought, what if we have this wrong? Huh! What if Jack joined Pitch? If Jack was kidnapped he would never do this!" Bunny snarled. North and Sandy were looking at him wide-eyed. He narrowed his eyes. His whole lair was destroyed, everything he had worked for.
Everything. Destroyed. And there was only one person responsible for this.
Uh, well that turned out different from what I thought it would. Ouch, Bunny's blaming Jack for this! Next chapter, we'll find out if Jack did it, and if he did why. You should have figured it already, though! More reviews and favorites would make my Christmas. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!