Everyone watched as the sun and the moon were completely aligned.
Morticia raised her hands, the membrane over the stalks began withering away. She cackled as the infectious forms began making their way towards the opening and the outside. Then suddenly a great beam of light descended from the sky.
Everyone was forced to covered their eyes, and when at last the light faded and they were re-opened no one believed what they saw.
The little infections had been disintegrated, bits and pieces of them falling into the basin as the air cleared, and in the middle of the chasm, standing on a shadow platform was Elsie and Chirin. Except somehow different, she held a sort of strength she hadn't before.
Their thoughts though were interrupted as Morticia let out a scream of rage.
"NO! My infections! My plans! YOU!" She glared at Elsie, her eyes full of evil. "I'm going to kill you!" Morticia took her scythe in hand and leaped from her ledge at the shadow platform.
Chirin roared fiercely and leaped to meet her challenge. His horns clashed with her scythe mid air. There was a resounding crack as the blade of the scythe shattered against the stronger ivory and fell in pieces into the basin. As Chirin landed safely on the ledge, Elsie summoned a powerful wave of shadow that smashed into Morticia, driving her upwards to the surface. As Elsie made her way upwards Chirin took another great leap and landed on the ledge next to the guardians.
Jack looked amazed at the ram who seemed even bigger than before. "Was that-was that Elsie?" He stuttered.
Chirin snorted and turned to the clogged tunnels.
The necromorphs were now still, unsure of what to do.
Chirin began advancing on them.
They growled and hissed trying in vain to scare him off, a couple took a few retreating steps. One very brave or very foolish one dashed forward to attack.
Chirin charged, he was faster and stronger, his horns sharper, his hooves harder. He barreled through the necros with ease, cutting them down in droves. Within moments the way was clear.
The guardians followed the ram down the tunnel, North waved him over.
"Chirin can you carry Eve, She's very weak."
The ram gave a curt nod and lowered himself to the ground, allowing North to help the pale, shaking spirit on. When she had a firm grip on the collar of his bell he stood and led the way through.
They met no resistance and when there wasn't an exit Chirin made one, smashing through the walls with remarkable ease. Finally they broke through to the surface, sunlight and swamp water gushing in. They all climbed out, taking in the 'fresh' air.
Chirin started for the sounds of fighting in the distance.
Mother Nature summoned a raft of vines on which everyone climbed. Eve was lowered to the raft and strong vine was wrapped around Chirin like a harness so as to pull the raft faster.
Elsie and Morticia were in the heat of battle, Elsie using her claws and waves and blasts of shadow, Morticia striking at her with a pair of knives and a whip of green essence that cracked in the air when pulled back.
As the battle ensued it became clear that Morticia was at a disadvantage.
Else was throwing enormous amounts of shadow in the form of sharp bladed waves and powerful blasts that shook the surrounding area.
Morticia was barely able to strike back, having to constantly deflect and block her attacks.
A dozen necromorphs leaped out from crevices around, the guardians thought they would have to intervene, but Elsie wiped them all away with a single strike.
Morticia was getting desperate. She began taking any cheap shot she could find, aiming at Elsie's face, neck and knees. But Elsie was able to maintain a strong defense while still attacking.
Morticia enraged turned an launched a powerful wave of green at the weakened and battered guardians. A wall of shadow erupted in front of them, blocking the attack and protecting Elsie's friends.
Morticia gaped, a few hours ago the girl was next to death but now she was more powerful than herself, being able to defend herself and her allies while continuously launching attacks. Morticia paused her advance, the chaos and hatred welling up inside her like a bomb ready to burst. The air around began shimmering with a hazy blue mist.
Elsie realized that the Miasma was losing it's hold, the turmoil was drawing it out and making it more desperate.
The shimmering energy around the death spirit erupted with the force of a large explosion. The shadow wall protecting the guardians shattered and they were knocked back a ways.
Elsie managed to stay on her feet but was blown back a few yards.
Morticia stood burning in a blue flame that was consuming her body. She charged. "KILL YOU! KILL YOU! KILL YOU! KILL YOU! KILL YOU!" She screeched.
The Miasma was driving her mad, killing her.
Elsie saw this as her only chance, or it would soon be to late. She conjured a shadow hand that gripped the charging woman's ankle, tripping her. As she fell two more hands grabbed her wrists. The hands were raised and turned into columns of shadows that held Morticia in place above the ground. Part of the blue flame reached down and attempted to grab her, but drew back as the crystal around her neck glowed.
"If your going to do something Tzar do it now." She muttered to herself. She waited, the Miasma attacking and withdrawing again and again, drawing ever slightly closer with each pass, and just when she thought nothing might happen a bright pillar of light erupted from the sun, striking Morticia.
Morticia screamed and went rigid, the blue mist being pulled from her.
The entity floated above her, it's form giant and shapeless. It made a reach for the spirit, trying to regain it's host, but Elsie quickly lowered the now unconscious woman out of harms way.
The light intensified and the Miasma shuddered, feeling the presence of the Attar. The Miasma made a sound, like a screech but so unnatural and unworldly Elsie feared she would go deaf from hearing it. The Miasma shot upwards and soon was out of sight, but not out of sound. The horrid screech still hung in the air even as it's emenator was gone, giving testimony to it's defiance of physical laws. The pillar of light faded and all was quiet.
The guardians picked themselves up and moved to the bit of land there was.
Chirin went ans stood by his master and she petted him fondly.
The group could only stare at the two figures now changed.
Finally Jack spoke. "Elsie?"
She turned and smiled at them. "It's finally over."
This stumped everyone. First their plan to stop Morticia goes all to hell, with Elsie, Chirin and Pitch disappearing. Then the first two returning in a beam of light, but older, kicking Morticia's ass when the rest of them combined couldn't do squat, trapping her in another pillar of light which pulled a blue mist from her that screamed an unholy sound before disappearing into the sky. Yes they were stumped to say the least.
Jack approached them, both curious and cautious. Elsie was now even taller and had abandoned her youthful grace for a more dignified elegance. But her eyes, they were the same lively vibrant green that he'd recognize anywhere, though that still didn't remove his shock.
"Is that really you?"
Her smile widened. "Well who'd you expect frosty?"
"But your so..." Dignified, strong, regal, tenacious came to mind. "old."
Her smile faltered for a moment before she burst into laughter. "Well I'm still younger than you, old man winter."
At this point Jack began laughing. He turned to the others, who were watching intently. "It's really Elsie!"
The rest came over to examine her new form. She told them everything that had happened after she was cast out into the snow and cold. They were amazed by her story, Mother Nature smiled knowingly at the crystal around her neck.
A pained groan suddenly drew their attention away. They looked to the no longer unconscious form of Morticia. She was struggling to get to her hands and knees, trying to get off the ground, sounds of pain echoing from her through out the process.
The guardians were scared stiff, unsure if the battle royelle was about to continue.
But, surprisingly though, Elsie went over to the fallen spirit. She kneeled and helped her with her ascent to her feet.
She leaned heavily on Elsie and looked around with her golden eyes in confusion. Eventually her sights settled on the guardians.
"North? Sandy? Guardians? Why are you all here? Whats going on?"
"You-you mean you don't remember anything?" North asked.
She shook her head. "The last thing I remember is sensing something strange in my swamp at night, I saw something moving like swamp gas but, it made a strange noise. It came towards me fast. That's it."
They all gaped.
"You don't remember anything you've done the past few weeks."
She shook her head. "What do you mean 'things I've done?"
"I think it would be easier to show you." Elsie said and began leading them all back to the entrance.
As they went Elsie explained everything about the Miasma and what it had done.
"The Miasma, it made you do things, very bad things."
Morticia stared in horror at the resign and biomass covered walls."My palace, my home. Did I do this?"
Elsie nodded solemnly.
Morticia bowed her head in shame. Two necromorphs stepped into view. They were unsure how to proceed now that their master had allied herself with the enemy.
Morticia gasped. "And those...things?"
"Yes."
She shook her head in dismay. "This isn't right, none of this. The dead should remain dead." She raised he hand at the necromorphs. "Go now. Rest in peace." The necros fell into piles of flesh and bones, the green essence evaporated along with most of the flesh leaving only the bones with turned to dust.
She then moved her hands to the walls. The biomass began dissolving into thick grey smoke which itself evaporated into thin air. As it cleared away it left behind smooth, glossy walls of amber, hardened from the grove of trees themselves over millions of years.
Morticia headed deeper into her palace clearing away the biomass as she went.
Elsie followed, the others did to eventually.
After clearing away most of the rest of the palace they entered the throne room. The walls, floor and ceiling were wiped clean, leaving polished, glistening amber held up with huge pillars of ancient petrified wood. The hanging orb vomiting out light melted away leaving the dazzling chandelier to hang with it's thousands of tiny candles lighted with wisps of blue flame. She looked remorsefully at the thrown of bones before waving a hand and the bones became dust, leaving a simple but elegant gilded chair. Which Morticia sat upon, tired, in pain and confused.
"Please. Tell me everything."
0o0o0o0o0o0o
Three grueling hours later, when each had told their story, Morticia had stood and bowed deeply before them.
"I have done terrible things and committed heinous crimes. How can I ever make amends?"
No one had an answer. After hearing about the Miasma and what it had done, no one wanted to deal out a punishment. But the damage had still been done and the debt needed to be paid.
Elsie stepped forward and placed a hand on her hunched shoulder.
"How about you help in repairing the pole and Cupid's and Patrick's homes and we call it even." She turned to the others. "How does that sound to all of you?"
They all smiled and nodded in agreement.
Morticia looked up and smiled. "Thank you, Elsie. For saving my life."
Elsie blushed and nodded. "Really it was the others who did just about everything. I just got lucky with being in the right place at the right time."
Mother Nature shook her head. "Not true. Elsie you have done us a great service, we all owe you our lives. The entire world owes you a debt. How may we ever repay you?"
They all nodded, grinning in agreement with her and waiting to grant any request Elsie might have.
"Really, you don't have to do anything. I just-" She stopped something in the shadows catching her eye.
The others followed her gaze to see Pitch stepping out of a dark corner and looking around absolutely bewildered.
"Well nice of you to join us Pitch." Bunny teased. "While you were gone we decided to rap things up here." He smiled cockily.
North gave him a good flick to the ears. "Quit it Bunny. Pitch good to see you."
Pitch was becoming even more confused by the second.
"It was Elsie who put things right and Morticia is back to herself."
Pitch looked to them, Morticia was looking better, no longer full of hate and malice and Elsie was... older.
"How?" Was the only complete word she could form.
"The Miasma." She said.
"Here?" He looked around worriedly.
"It's gone now. But yes. When the Attar was weakened by the great war and the constant unbalance the Miasma came to Earth and possessed Morticia."
"But Elsie exercised it and destroyed it for good!" Jack cheered enthusiastically.
"No." Elsie said gravely. "The Miasma can't be destroyed and eventually it will return."
Their faces fell.
"That doesn't mean it will beat us next time. All we can do is keep balance and love and we'll be ready for it."
That did lift their spirits, but it still didn't answer everything for Pitch.
"But how are-how did you-"
"It's a long story." She smiled. "I'll tell you as we head back to the pole."
A new larger sleigh was forged that could hold everyone didn't need to be frozen for Elsie to hold it's shape and the reindeer were called back.
North's workshop wasn't nearly as bad as everyone thought it would be. The storm had been more of a blessing then anything. The harsh winds and piles of snow had put out all the fires. The remaining necromorphs were put to rest and all the ice and snow was cleared out. The yetis and elves were brought back and reconstruction began. With everyone's help it only took a weak.
As everyone headed to Patrick's place, Elsie told them she and Chirin needed to make a quick stop. Pitch took her through the shadows since she hadn't learned the ability herself. They appeared just in front of her house.
She and Chirin thought it best not to make a scene so they went around to the back. The back door light was on, they still had hope she would come home.
She knocked lightly on the back door, then again louder. She heard the sound of footsteps racing down the stairs and rushing to the door. The back door was thrown open inwards and in the doorway stood her mother clad in a nightgown and her father in his robe.
Tears flooded Elsie's eyes, she'd missed them so much. "Mom. Dad."
Her mother gasped and covered her mouth. Her father rubbed his eyes as if he thought this were a dream.
"Elsie?" Her mother spoke shakily, as if uttering the word would suddenly make her vanish into thin air.
She nodded, tears spilling over. Chirin stood next to her and snorted, destroying any doubt left over.
Her mother ran forward and wrapped Elsie in a desperate hug that was soon tightened by her father's arms. They cried together for a good five minutes before her parents drew back.
"Where have you been! Whats has happened to you!" Her mother cried.
Elsie shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never meant to put either of you through any of this. I-I-" How could she tell them? About Santa, Jack Frost, Pitch, Morticia and the other guardians and what they did?
"I'd be easier to show you." She stepped back, raised her hand and summoned a shadow in the form of a wolf.
Her father gasped and her mother covered her mouth with her hands.
Elsie looked at the ground in shame. "I couldn't tell you, my powers never really disappeared. I just didn't want you to be disappointed in me."
"Oh Elsie." Her mother took her hands. "We could never be disappointed in you."
"Your our daughter and we love you no matter what." Her father added.
"The important thing is your home now." Her mother smiled.
Elsie looked at the ground again.
"Your not staying are you." Her father said more of a statement than a question.
She shook her head.
Her mother gripped her hands tighter. "Why not, it doesn't matter if you have powers, or how you look now. You belong here with us."
"Marry." Charlie said gently taking a hold of his wife's shoulders.
"I've had a bit of an adventure, as you can see and I've found out somethings about myself and about the world. But no matter where I go you'll always be my mother and father."
Her mother was in tears again but nodded.
They all hugged one last, long time before her parents let go and Elsie climbed onto Chirin.
They stared one last time before Chirin reared and then galloped out of the yard, clearing the fence in one leap and heading towards the mountains where they disappeared into the darkness. A moment of silence was followed by a consonance howl of a wolf that resounded a melodious tune that spoke, not of sadness, but of new life and new beginnings. And as they listened to the sound Charlie and Marry traded looks and both knew their daughter would be just fine.