Chapter fifteen-Changes
"What happened?" He borderline screamed.
"Boogey was here." Pitch clipped out much harsher than he had intended in worry.
"What did he do?" He rushed to his mom's side.
"He sent her into the world of night-terrors." Pitch supplied quietly, horrified for her. "New plan. Pole. Now." He scooped her up and told Jamie to go downstairs. "Don't worry about Boogey, he's disbanded for now and he can't hurt you."
"What do I do?" He asked, panicking.
"Believe, Jamie. That's all you need to do, believe. Here, take a globe, get everyone into it, Jack included. Don't worry, if it breaks it'll be in your pocket again." He offered.
"Alright." He still looked scared.
"Jamie?" He stopped him, setting his mom down on the couch and placing his hands on the boy's shoulders.
"Yeah?"
"You can do this. I believe." This prompted much more confidence and Jamie marching down the stairs with both sets of keys, ready to take on the world.
"JACK!" He called, almost screaming.
"Jamie? Jamie what's wrong? Are you alright? Where's your mom?" Jack asked quickly and calmly.
"Jack I can't explain, no time. You just need to believe me when I say we need to go right now!" He tried.
"Go where, Jamie?" Jack asked, not questioning the boy, but pulling on his coat and shoes.
"Hold on and I'll show you. Anna, Sandy wake up." He gently but urgently prodded. The two picked up his panic in a heartbeat and crowded into Jack. He figured that Jamie needed them badly, so he just helped them get their clothes on. He was too panicked for Jack to do anything other than listen to him, even if he wasn't saying much.
"Jamie?" He called, everyone put together. He heard Jamie, Nick and Aster talking and the three came in, fully dressed and ready to go. "Now, where are we going? What's happened?" Jack asked again.
"This is going to sound crazy, but we need to go to the North Pole." Jamie offered, fully expecting Jack to laugh or be angry, bracing himself for it, in fact.
"The North Pole." Jack stated dumbly. His face showed no emotion whatsoever and that scared Jamie more than anything.
"I know, I know Jack. Believe me though, I'm not kidding. This is one of Santa's globes, it'll take us there." He held it up and Jack had a moment of insight that was ripped away almost as quick as it appeared.
"What the heck, Jamie?" He asked, looking around like he was waiting for the cameras. "Am…am I dreaming?" He asked. Jamie suddenly got a panicked, brilliant idea.
"If it gets you to go along with this, yes. You're dreaming." He offered. Jack eyed him for a second then nodded.
"Oh well, what's the worst that can happen?" he asked, Jamie smashed the globe which had pictures of candy canes and yeti in it, and to his relief a portal opened. He waved them in and followed quickly.
When they emerged Nick got this wonder-filled look on his face that told Pitch he was remembering. He couldn't afford to wait.
"Mom!" Jamie ran to the couch where Pitch had placed her. Pitch opened an arm and to both parties eventual shock he almost bowled him over getting into his side. "Is she gonna be okay?" He asked, half hoping that just being there would help her. Pitch sighed, not wanting to tell him what was happening.
"She will live, Jamie. There is a slight problem, but Sand Man can fix it when he returns shortly." He offered. "That is, if he's not to pre-occupied with trying to murder me on sight." He mused. Jamie looked up at him, confusion turning to understanding rather quickly.
"I'll help." He offered.
"Alright, I'm holding you to that." He teased. "Fair warning though, he's scary when he's mad."
"I know, I've seen it." He giggled, looking back to his mom, then Pitch once before sighing acceptingly. "So what do we need to do?" He asked.
"Well, I need the guardians to help me open the bottom of this little stand here where this pretty stone is. It's called the moonstone." He explained, knowing the others had quickly crowded around in confusion.
"How?" He asked.
"Well, mostly by being here. Kids? Can we circle up around that pretty stone there? Careful, don't get too close." He cautioned. He looked up to see Jack looking at him like he was nuts.
"Okay, so maybe this is another really weird dream, but it doesn't feel the same." He offered.
"That's because it isn't a dream this time." Pitch explained. He watched Jack struggle with that for a second, then realize that if he wasn't dreaming then Jessica Bennett was in real trouble.
"Is she-"
"She'll be alright, Jack. If we move quickly." He offered.
"What do you mean? What are we supposed to do?" he asked, clearly torn.
"Jack, you are not Jackson Overland Bunnymund. Your name is Jackson Overland Frost. Jack Frost. You're the guardian of Fun and spirit of winter. These are the other guardians. You've done an amazing job, but right now I need you to understand what's happening, even if you don't believe it. I need you to work with me." He plead calmly, explaining what he could. "We need to gather around and the Moon is going to use our combined presence here as a key to unlock the pedestal that the moonstone is on. It serves as a conduit for the magical portion of his power. The stone is just for communication." He tacked on because the moonstone thing had confused him at first, and he figured Jack was having a harder time than he had.
"Wait. I'm…who now?" He asked, still stuck on his life being a lie.
"Jack Frost. You were given false memories of a human life so you didn't go insane when you were dumped into one." Pitch explained calmly.
"So…I didn't live that life at all?" He asked.
"Only when you moved into that apartment and on." He confirmed.
"But…" He was having the roughest time with it, and rather than push him for time they didn't have, he took a deep breath and put his hands on his shoulders.
"Alright, I know, breathe. Try to remember that dream, because in it, you were yourself." He tried. Jack strained to remember all that was different about him in the dream. Pitch actually harnessed Tooth's magic to give him a little boost and it hit him like a semi. He actually stumbled, Pitch had to steady him.
"Holy crap!" Jack shook his head and looked at Pitch in disbelief. "So…you-" He started but Jessica gave a horrible, gut wrenching cry of fear in her now fitful sleep.
"We've got to move." He prompted. Jack nodded, knowing what he needed to do.
"Alright kiddos, circle up." He instructed the still childlike guardians. "Wow…I did grow, didn't I?" He chuckled, seeing himself. "And you shrank." He couldn't help himself. He was Jack Frost again, and he felt like he could cheer.
"Jamie, stay with her." Pitch instructed. Jamie nodded and squeezed his mom's hand a little tighter.
"Come on Mani, let's get us back to normal now please." Jack grinned. To be honest there was a part of him still in there from the spell that changed him in the first place that didn't believe this but the larger part of him was prepared to go with it.
A shadow crossed the moon and Pitch's heart dropped.
"Jack! Boogey is here, I'm going to fight him off, keep the circle!" Pitch called over the now near deafening noise of the concerned Yeti rushing into the area where the moonstone was to try to help defend them. Mani's light crossed them and Jack saw a little silver light come from seemingly nowhere around each child, then himself, and the base of the pedestal the stone was on rotated so that several smaller silver gems were aligned. He guessed that meant it was "open" now.
They could hear the battle around them but that just made them cling to each other tighter. Mani's light washed over them and their worlds went black.
Pitch, on the other hand, was swinging a double-edged long-sword he hadn't used in ages like he had never put it down. He was in front of Jamie, killing the nightmares he used to control. This was no longer the case, and he was nearly breathless trying to keep up. He saw the blinding moonbeams around the five unconscious Guardians and prayed that they were safe under the moon's light.
Jessica and Jamie Bennett weren't touched by even a single nightmare, and the Yeti were protecting the guardians but soon Pitch was running out of fight and Yeti were falling unconscious on the floor. Jamie swatted a nightmare away which became a dream and Pitch started to wield dream sand.
As it happened the very first Guardian to open their newly aged eyes was Sandy. What did he see? Pitch. Fighting nightmares with a golden long-sword with Jamie at his side, changing them to dreams that Pitch was using to fight with.
A nightmare charged the little man who tried to fight but found his magic wasn't really up and running yet. Rather than being trampled like he thought he would be a golden whip snatched the vile thing away from him and a sword sliced it in half. Pitch, panting and winded, called to him.
"Sand Man! Are you alright?" He called. Sandy, still looking confused, gave him a reluctant thumbs-up.
"Okay, I know this is strange but we need your help!" He called, waving him over as he slashed a nightmare. Boogey's voice could be heard, whispering to him in a voice only Pitch could understand but it was clear he was ignoring him.
Sandy rushed to his side, seeing that the others were asleep but heavily guarded by Yeti. He could feel his magic returning but having another person who could share it was a strange sensation. He looked between Jamie and Pitch in confusion.
"Jamie, can you elaborate while-" He cut off to slash a nightmare which caught him in the gut.
"Sandy! Mom got knocked out by…who was it Pitch?" He asked.
"Boogey." He spat the name like a curse and suddenly Sandy understood. He looked at Pitch with cautious optimism and wonder for a moment before registering what was wrong and rushing to Mrs. Bennett. He worked as fast as he could to dispel the nightmares from her and she fell into a coma-like sleep which was filled with wonderful dreams. She would wake up when Sandy woke her, but for now he decided asleep was the best thing for her to be.
"Thanks Sandy!" Jamie almost knocked him over in a relieved and thankful hug which Sandy was happy to return. He pulled back and motioned for the boy to get behind him, he would protect him. He nodded and sat beside his mom protectively and Sandy's focus returned to Pitch. He floated up to eye-level and gave him a questioning look.
"Boogey's free. I was…diluting him when he was…inside me but…Mani…he got him out…of me. Now we need to…to trap him again. I'll tell you the rest..later." He offered, very out of breath from having to fight with another's magic. Sandy nodded his understanding and, given that he could plainly see Boogey and that Jamie seemed to trust him, his belief.
Sandy took a big breath, cracked his knuckles and the sand started to fly. With his help they were able to lure Boogey out where Sandy landed a lucky shot and knocked him out.
Within the space of a few moments Jack was up first and was quick to catch on.
"Sandy! We're back to normal! What's going on?" he asked quickly. Sandy shot up a few signs and he nodded.
"I won't lie, I thought you'd kill me before you listened." Pitch admitted semi-bashfully. Sandy chuckled and shrugged. He signed and Jack translated.
"He says, you can use his magic and that wouldn't be possible if you were still fused with Boogey, or if you were lying." Pitch just looked amazed.
"Well, I guess that's convenient then." He offered, keeping a wary eye on the room. "Well let's wake them up." He nodded to the four, still snoring.
"Allow me." Jack grinned wickedly. He dumped piles of snow on their heads. Surprisingly it didn't work.
"I can't do this, oh Moon." Pitch managed through laughter, he was doubled over and Sandy was finding it infectious. Jack had to admit, this Pitch was starting to grow on him.
"Guys…" Jamie sounded worried and when they turned to look at him, sobering, they noticed Boogey's shadowy form leaning over the still unconscious North.
There you have it, another chapter! Granted I'm writing all of these where I don't have the internet to post them and you're getting about four or five at once, but there you go! Please let me know what you think and you are all wonderful people! :)