Elsie groaned in pain and attempted to move onto her side.
"Now don't try to move just yet dear." The voice though unfamiliar was soft and kind and put her at ease.
She tried to open her eyes but the blurriness was still present and made her head spin.
"Hold on just another second dear."
A gentle warm feeling was spreading through her stomach and into her chest. Her vision began to clear and she was greeted with the dazzling of a billion stars in an inky black sky. The spreading warmth stopped and a pressure was removed from her stomach.
"There we go, all patched up."
Elsie pulled herself into a sitting position and looked around. The land was a barren, grey and rocky plain that stretched as far as the eye could see, odd rock formations dotted the landscape here and there. A man stood a couple of feet away, he was short but taller than Sandy dressed in a yellow gold suit with a red bow tie. He was bald except for a small lock of white hair at the top of his head.
"You should consider yourself very lucky." He said gently. "Few have ever felt the effects of the draught of the dead first hand and even fewer have lived to tell the tale."
Elsie to stunned to say anything simply stared.
"I can see your confused, why don't you try standing first."
Elsie complied and was very surprised to find that the cold and numbness had gone from all her limbs, actually it was quite warm, tropically so.
"Good good everything seems to have healed up nicely." The strange man looked beyond her. "Darling how is yours doing?"
"I've just finished." Came a warm and honeyed voice.
Elsie turned to see a tall woman with shining golden hair with the face of a porcelain doll dressed in a gown that shown like the sun. And next to her was Chirin, who stood with not even a limp where his injury had once been.
"Such a strong and noble steed." The woman stroked his neck. "He kept by his master's side and kept her alive even while the poison coursed through his veins."
The strange man nodded. "A fine steed for a fine warrior. Now you two must be half starved, how about some crumpets and a spot of tea."
The two figures led the way to a table Elsie hadn't seen before, and that was complete with four chairs and fine tea set decorated in a sun and moon pattern.
They sat down and smiled, the woman patting the spot across from her.
"Now now don't be shy." The man cajoled.
Elsie and Chirin not knowing what else to do followed and took their seats, except for Chirin of course who stood.
The woman filled their plates with steaming crumpets while the man poured every one tea, including Chirin who was given a saucer instead of a cup.
"Please eat." The woman said tenderly. "I know you both must be famished from your adventures." She herself began eating.
Chirin sniffed warily at the pastries and tea before deciding they were safe and tucking in, devouring the sweets and draining the tea. The man refilled his plate and saucer.
Elsie took a small bite from her crumpet. It was warm, sweet and doughy topped with honey. She swallowed and only then did she realize how hungry she was. It had been nearly two days since they'd last eaten. They'd rushed from Tooth's palace yesterday morning to Morticia's lair and had had no time for rest or food. Morticia! Elsie stood and looked at the stars desperately.
"Oh no! The eclipse, I've missed it!" She cried hopelessly startling everyone.
"Now calm down dear. You haven't missed anything, in fact your still quite early." The man chuckled light heartedly and motioned for her to sit and continue eating.
She plopped back into her seat even more confused. "I'm...early?"
He nodded.
Elsie not knowing what else to do looked back down at her plate and took another bite of her crumpet.
A few minutes and a few crumpets later the strange man finally spoke. "Now I know you both must be very confused." He paused to sip his tea. "So let us start by introducing ourselves. I'm Tzar Lunar and this is my wife Celestia Sol."
"Tzar?" Elsie paused at hearing such a familiar name, then it hit her. "Your Pitch's brother."
Tzar looked surprised for a moment then chuckled. "I've been called many things in my day, but never 'Pitch's brother.' But yes I am."
"But wait I thought you were banished to the moon?"
"Uh yes well, you see uh-"
"What I think my husband means to say," Celestia said. "Is that you should look behind you."
Elise turned and was stunned, the Earth was hanging in the sky hundreds of miles away. She was stunned with astonishment but eventually turned back around and tried to speak. "So I'm-I'm on-"
"The moon, yes dear." Celestia answered kindly.
"Okay then." Elsie said trying to take it all in. "But why am I here? The last thing I remember is... is being somewhere cold and snowing with Chirin and Pitch."
Tzar nodded. "After poisoning you Morticia sent you to Alaska, that's where Pitch found you. Which brings me to my next point. How your going to stop Morticia."
"But I can't, she's just too powerful."
"Yes." Tzar sighed. "Morticia's interference has really mucked up or original plans."
Elsie gave them a confused look.
"You see Elsie from the night of the fire your fate has been intertwined with the guardians and the world of spirits. You see the universe has a way of balancing itself out, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the future a great enemy was to rise and threaten the world, upsetting our delicate balance, you were to be the equalizing force that defeated the enemy and set things right, but only when you were older and your powers had matured. But all this business with Morticia was something we couldn't predict. It was an unpredictable variable." Tzar said.
"An unpredictable variable?" She asked very confused.
Celestia nodded. "Yes. There are events in the universe which are as you could say 'set in stone', meaning that if the original person to cause the event died before it could happen, then someone else would come and do the exact same thing. They are exact and predictable. Unpredictable variables are random acts of chance. For instance Pitch Black finding you as a child and influencing your powers was an unpredictable variable. There was an equal chance that the sand man would find you, or Jack Frost, or Eve or Tooth and so forth, each would have influenced your powers in a different way. You finding Chirin was also a variable, a beneficial one at that."
Elsie nodded hoping she was understanding correctly. "So Morticia's going A-wall was something that happened by chance? But why? Why would she turn against her friends?"
"A variable, yes and no. Tzar said. "As everything has it's opposite so does the force of order and love, which we call the 'Attar'. The opposite force is called the 'Miasma', a force of pure chaos and hatred. As we perform acts of good and keep our own lives in order, each and every one of us helps create the Attar, while the Miasma is created from the opposite, it is free moving and travels through out the galaxy spreading chaos and hate. After the great war, the dark ages and my brother's rise and fall to power that followed, the Attar was weakened. The Miasma, which at the time was hanging just outside our solar system, sensed this. It was by slim chance that the Miasma came here and an even slimmer chance that it infected Morticia, making her into a host for it's own forces."
"I think I understand." Elsie started. "So Morticia is being controlled by the Miasma."
"Correct." Tzar and Celestia said in unison.
"So then, how do we defeat the Miasma?"
"Well that's why we brought you here Elsie." Celestia said.
"The Miasma cannot be destroyed, but it can be banished. The Attar has grown strong again and with a little help it can banish the Miasma out from Earth. But at the moment your powers are not nearly strong enough to defeat Morticia. But," Tzar paused standing up. "We can strengthen your powers to maturity."
Elsie stood elated with hope of ending this miserable event. "Then we have to hurry!"
"Patience." Celestia stood. "If we mature your powers then we have to instill the power we gave to the guardians. Your life as a mortal would end and you would become a spirit like the others, becoming the embodiment, the spirit of shadows and twilight."
Elsie swallowed hard, her thoughts running through her head. What about her parents, her friends, what about her life? "What about Chirin?"
"That would be his choice."
Chirin bobbed his head and snorted as the answer should be obvious.
"Could I defeat Morticia without this?" She asked seriously.
"No. Morticia will cover the world in death, the Attar will fall, the Miasma will leave on it's own accord, and the world will eventually regrow, but different, forever changed.
Elsie breathed deeply. "Then do it."
Tzar raised an eyebrow in a familiar manner. "Do you understand what your agreeing to?"
"Yes." This had to be done.
"Very well, follow us."
Chirin and Elsie followed the two spirits until they reached a place where the light of the sun was shinning over and the dark of the moon was still present. Tzar and Celestia stood side by side each in their element, each held out a hand to her. She gave them one each, which they covered with theirs and held tightly.
"This is going to be very painful. Are you ready?" Celestia nodded gravely.
Elsie nodded.
"Then we will begin."
At first nothing, a slight buzzing in her fingers and hands that soon spread to her shoulders. Then the pain hit. Elsie's body instinctively drew back but Tzar's and Celestia's grip held firm. It felt as if her bones were melting within her, like someone was pumping acid through them. She wanted to scream but the pain stole her voice. Then her muscles began to feel it, starting as pins and needles to being ripped and torn apart sinew by sinew. Her organs felt as if they were being liquified, even her teeth ached and her eyes were melting in her skull.
"Your doing great, just a little bit longer." Came Celestia's remorseful voice.
Her skin was the last thing to be engulfed by the pain, which at the moment was being devoured by angry bullet ants. And suddenly, as if someone had flipped a switch, the pain abruptly stopped.
Elsie fell to her hands and knees, panting and gasping for air. She could tell by the sound of footsteps that Celestia and Tzar were moving over to Chirin. She wished she could warn him. Eventually she managed to compose herself enough to stand.
Each spirit held one of Chirin's horns and within a matter of seconds they let go.
She vaguely wondered if her own session which had felt like hours was actually that short.
Chirin's legs shook a bit but other than that he didn't seem to be in much pain.
"Chirin is quite strong. Other than aligning your powers with him and making him a spirit we didn't have to do much." Celestia smiled and came back to her. "Here take a look." She materialized a mirror.
Elsie gasped, she hadn't known what to expect but it wasn't this. She was old, well older than she had been. Now she looked twenty-eight, taller, her features more pronounced. She now lacked the sprightly look she was used to seeing, but carried a breezy elegance that held an air of nobility. She was reminded of the lady Katsa from her favorite book Graceling. Her clothes had changed to from her jeans and corset and jacket that were tattered with use to an elegant summer gown that although looked light, was very strong and allowed her to move with swiftness and ease.
She looked to Chirin to see if he had changed as well. He had, but only slightly. His horns were longer, his coat had a better shine and he somehow looked studier. She turned back to the spirits. "Now how do I stop Morticia?"
"Lure her out somewhere into the open." Tzar said. "Get her immobilized and we'll take care of the rest."
She nodded.
Celestia gripped her shoulder. "Your a strong warrior and a stronger person Elsie Mercy. We know you can do this, and take this." She took a crystal necklace of her neck and put it around Elsie's. "This is a piece of the crystal used to infuse the power of the guardians, it will help protect you from the Miasma's influence."
"Thank you."
"No thank you Elsie." Tzar smiled kindly. "Your doing us a great deed. Elsie when you see my brother will you tell him I'm sorry. I was blinded by my self admiration and power, it's only now when I am trapped in my own prison that I realized what I was doing to him, what I was turning him into."
She nodded and he thanked her. Chirin joined her at her side.
"Are you ready to go back?"
'Yes." They both nodded.
"Alright here you go." There was a bright flash of light and they both closed their eyes.