Well, here is the SECOND INSTALLMENT of Switcharoo…if you have not read the first, then please go back to the previous chapter. ENJOY!
He could see them, blurry dead faces staring up from shallow graves while tendrils of fire reached for the sky, consuming everything it touched. Screams cut through the night air and the wind smelt of blood and decaying flesh. Jack ran in the midst of it all, his breath coming in short gasps, sprinting towards an unknown destination. Finally, after sprinting over countless fields and meadows, the boy came to a home built half in the ground, and half out of it. Grass covering its roof, and a tree growing from the side, and the house was wreathed in flame.
"NO!" Jack screamed.
Running forward, he tried to enter the house to save the people trapped inside, but the building collapsed, bringing the hillside with it. Jack fell to his knees, screaming in anguish, his heart feeling like it had been torn in two from the pain of losing the ones within the house. His eyes rising to look around, the boy gazed on the entire terrain, everything that the eye could see, only to see it covered in flame and the bodies of the dead.
Jack jolted awake, aware of the tears covering his face, and quickly sat up. Swiping the wetness from his cheeks, Jack remembered that he was currently stuck in Bunny's body, and let out a groan of aggravated impatience. Fighting the urge to bury his head back into the pillow he had fallen asleep on, Jack registered a rumbling in his stomach, and decided that feeding his new form would be a good idea. Heading down to the kitchens, the winter spirit turned Pooka gave a shudder at the memory of the horrible nightmare he had seen. He didn't know who those dead faces were, but he was almost sure that they looked like…rabbits. Giving a shrug, the boy nudged the kitchen door open, only to stop and gape at the sight in front of him. Aster, in Jack's body of course, was sitting at the table eating a huge sandwich with a side of salad and a large glass of milk.
"What," Jack began each word building in volume "are you doing?!"
"What's it look like," Bunny answered around a large bite of sandwich "I'm eating."
"No, nononononono!" Jack groaned "You can't!"
"Why?" Bunny asked incredulously "I woke up in the middle of the night with my stomach feeling like it was goin' ta rip into shreds, it was either eat, or spend the rest of the night in pain."
"You're supposed to ignore it," Jack growled "it usually leaves by morning!"
"Wait…what?" Bunny coughed "Is that what you do, ignore your stomach?"
Jack jerked back as if slapped "Well….yeah…" he answered uncomfortably.
"Frostbite…" Aster said as he slowly chewed "when was the last time ya ate?"
"I don't know," Jack answered shrugging his now broad shoulders.
Aster stood, his pale face angry and suspicious "That ain't an answer Snowflake, and ya know it."
"I don't know," Jack growled casting ashamed eyes at the floor.
"Jack, gimme a straight answer, and I mean now!"
The winter Pooka ground his teeth together, and finally pinned his body with a glare "I honestly don't remember, because I don't eat."
"W-what?" Aster stammered as his pale features went slack in shock.
"I said," Jack ground out in angry tones "I. Don't. EAT!"
"Sure ya do," Bunny shrugged thin shoulders "I see ya eating candy, and I've seen ya eat cookies."
"Yeah," the winter spirit turned Pooka growled sarcastically "small stuff, but I don't, I CAN'T eat anything bigger than that!"
"Why?" Aster asked but his question was soon answered.
Blue eyes widened and his face screwed into a harsh wince of pain while one pale hand clutched his stomach. Jack felt his long ears drop in apprehension, and his breath hitched as he felt fear clench in his chest for what he knew was assuredly coming next. Rushing over to his body, his grabbed Bunny, ignoring the weak complaints, and ran out the back door of the kitchens and dropped Aster into a snow bank. Before the former Pooka could start yelling, he doubled over, and began to violently retch up his meal. His shoulders trembled as he jerked and his stomach convulsed as it struggled to rid itself of its contents. Jack merely sat there, awkwardly patting Bunny's back, wincing with each gurgle and pained groan.
Finally after what felt like an eternity, Bunny lay weakly shivering in the snow, and Jack dug up some snow and piled it on top of the pale body. Aster groaned as he once again clutched his abdomen, and curled into himself in the fetal position.
"Wha-what happened?" he croaked.
"I CAN'T eat Aster," Jack groaned miserably "I lived in a time where we didn't have a lot of food, though I didn't know that until a few years ago, and for the past three hundred years I haven't had a lot to eat. I have gone hungry, eating what I could find in the trash, for the past three centuries. Because of that my stomach has shrunk and I can't eat a lot of food, otherwise, this happens."
"I…." but suddenly Bunny found he didn't have the words to sum up how he was feeling.
How do you tell someone that you were sorry that you ignored them, let them starve, left them in the cold and abandoned them to live in complete solitude? The Easter spirit finally settled with just staring into the snow in a dejected silence loaded with guilt. An awkward silence drawing out until Aster gave a cough, and looked back up at Jack who in his current form was shaking in violent trembles, his teeth clattering together from the cold.
"Oi, Snowflake," Aster said softly "ya better go inside, yer gonna freeze my ears off."
"But…" Jack said hesitantly.
"I'll be fine," Aster reassured "just get inside."
"Fine," the boy finally acquiesced "just stay out in the snow for a while, it will make you feel better."
"Yeah," Bunny nodded as he felt his eyes droop "I never knew snow was so soft."
With a small smile, Jack nodded and ran into the castle to warm his feet by the fire.
….
He couldn't get out….
He swam, desperately trying to remember which way was up, desperately trying to find air. His lungs already had burst into flame, and he felt his chest hitch as he choked, hoping against hope that he could hold on for just a moment longer. Finally he found the top, but all his pale hands came in contact with was ice, ice, and more ice. Pounding against the cold unbreakable surface, Bunny screamed out, fear enveloping him and soon so did darkness. Floating away, Bunny felt icy cold water fill his mouth and lungs, and as his body writhed and convulsed in the frigid lake, he felt his life slowly slip away.
Aster bolted upright, a scream issuing from his mouth, mingling with the howling winds of the tundra. Suddenly he felt very cold and insecure, and the former rabbit could only draw his legs up to his chest, and hug his knees. A tear clung to his lashes, and then dripped down, freezing on his cheek, and the rabbit gave a shiver from the nightmare. He couldn't be sure, but that dream felt a little too real for his liking. Standing up, the former rabbit slowly walked into the workshop, relieved to feel that his stomach had settled down and was no longer begging for food, or trying to turn itself inside out. Walking through the kitchens just long enough to grab Jack's staff, Aster made his way to the sitting room, only to give a small laugh at the sight that greeted him. Jack lay all curled up on his side, one foot twitching while he dreamed, and soft snores emanating from his unconscious form. Walking over, Bunny sat down next to him, and scratched a spot behind the ears that he knew would yield results.
Jack woke to a feeling more delicious than anything in the world, and gave a soft sigh of contentment as he opened his eyes. "Bunny?" he asked as he jolted at the sight of his body.
"Hello, mate," Aster chuckled "have a nice nap?"
"Kind of," Jack yawned clearly wanting to go back to sleep "but I keep having these weird dreams, and honestly they're freaking me out."
Bunny felt his chest clinch "Dreams? About what?"
Jack sucked in a shaky breath "Well, I keep seeing a village on fire and I also see…bodies, hundreds of d-dead bodies…"
Jack recounted his dream with Aster's face becoming more and more shocked, tears building in his eyes as he watched Jack tell his deepest secret. "Stop," Aster finally whispered in anguish "please stop."
Jack looked down, and saw Bunny trying hard not to crawl up in a ball and cry "Bunny," he asked softly "what was that dream?"
"It was my home," Aster said in a choked voice "a long time ago, before I was ever a guardian, I lived on a different planet with my kind. We were attacked, and before I knew it, everyone was gone. My whole planet, my home, all my kin and my friends…dead. I'm all that's left."
Jack felt a palpable wave of sorrow envelope him as understanding flooded his mind. Bunny knew what it was like to be alone, to live for centuries without a family, and no one to feel close to. Jack never understood before now just how alike they really were. Suddenly Bunny gave a hollow laugh.
"Ya know," he said softly "I've been havin' dreams too, about being trapped under the ice, and drownin'. Care to elaborate Snowflake?"
Jack shuffled uncomfortably until he too was in a similar position as Bunny, hugging his knees to his chest, Jack stared into the flames and spoke about his own personal nightmare "That's how I died," he finally sighed "when I was human I went skating with my younger sister, and saved her from falling into the ice, but in the end I was the one who fell in. My life in exchange for hers I guess. That was when MiM brought me back, and made me Jack Frost, even though I lost my memories."
Bunny nodded in understanding, finally knowing why the boy avoided water that wasn't frozen, and why he was so flighty. Not only had he endured centuries of being alone, but the kid was forced to endure having to relive how he died, surely that wasn't the easiest thing to experience. Looking over to Jack, Bunny heaved a sigh.
"I'm sorry Jackie," he murmured "I haven't been fair ta ya, and ta be honest, I haven't been that good of a big brother ta ya either."
"Brother?" Jack asked.
"Yeah," Aster chuckled awkwardly "what else do ya think we are? As soon as ya became a Guardian, for better or for worse, ya became a part of our family and I should have let ya know that from the very beginnin'."
Jack smiled as warmth burst inside his chest "Bunny," he began softly "I'm sorry too, I always thought you were this overly grumpy kangaroo who was stuck on himself, I didn't realize it was because you had gotten used to being alone…like I did."
Aster nodded, and soon the pair realized that nothing more needed to be said. Both had apologized, and both had come to a deeper understanding of the other. Sidling closer to Jack, Aster rested his back against Jack's furry side, allowing his head to droop onto the muscular bicep. Jack also felt his eyes drift shut, and soon both were asleep. As their snores drifted skywards, a glow surrounded their bodies, enveloping them in its warm light.
The next morning, the two woke up to the sounds of giggling and a camera shutter snapping. Sitting up, Aster rubbed his eyes only to see Tooth happily giggling as Sandy took pictures.
"You were so cute!" Tooth squealed "You were all snuggled up, and sound asleep, it was just SO adorable!"
"Aw shad'dup," Jack mumbled.
Bunny looked down, and felt his heart leap with joy when he realized the boy was back in his proper state. Reaching over, Bunny shook the boy roughly, a wide grin painting his features "Jackie," he urged "Jack wake up!"
"Five more minutes," the youth mumbled snuggling back against Bunny's downy fur and giving a sweet sigh.
"Oi Frostbite!" Bunny tried once again "Brain freeze!"
A few muttered incoherent words were all that greeted the rabbit, and Bunny finally leaned down to bellow in Jack's ear "JACK FROST!"
"WHAT?!" Jack finally yelled popping up to cast a sleepy glare at the Pooka.
Bunny just smiled, and wiggled his eyebrows, gesturing down at himself "Huh, huh?"
It took a minute but finally Jack felt a huge grin wreath itself across his face "We're back!"
"Back?" Tooth murmured and looked at Sandy who merely shrugged his shoulders "Back where?"
"I have my own body back!" Aster whooped with a ecstatic leap.
"I can fly again!" Jack crowed as he zipped around the workshop, staff well in hand.
"It must have worn off or somethin'." Aster babbled excitedly.
"Yeah!" the winter spirit agreed "that has to be it!"
"It is not!" North bellowed as he walked down the stairs to join the group "you merely met requirements on the egg."
"Requirements?" both boys wondered aloud.
"See through another's eyes
And understand their pain
Only when the clouds have cleared
Will you be true once again"
When North finished reciting, Bunny and Jack looked at each other and gave a secret smile, yeah they had come to a better understanding of each other. Now they could say that they were more than just friends, they were brothers and they had each other's back. Tooth looked around in confusion.
"Wait," she said "am I correct in thinking that Bunny and Jack had somehow switched bodies?"
"Yeah," Aster laughed "and let me tell you, it was not pretty."
"But how?" the fairy wondered.
"With this!" North said proudly presenting the Golden gem covered egg.
"Wow!" Tooth exclaimed "SHINY!"
Suddenly she and Sandy both reached forward to touch it, with Jack and Bunny screaming for them to stop. All the commotion was interrupted by a large explosion, and the group picked themselves off the floor, and gazed on each other.
"My goodness," North sighed…or actually Toothiana sighed, as she/he slowly stood "What happened?"
Looking down, she/he began to scream "I…I'm in North's body!"
Sandy, maybe, began rushing around his arms waving as he made Sand write in sloppy pictures "I'm North, and I can't talk!"
Toothiana's body slowly hovered in midair, and a maniacal grin lit her face "I can talk," Sandy in the fairy's body said "and do I have a lot to say!"
"Ohhh crikey," Bunny moaned slapping his forehead with a paw.
"You said it pal," Jack nodded.
Neither wanted to imagine what mess lay in store for them with THIS lot.
Wow…Can't believe I managed to write all that. Well, I will be writing the one shot request next and then I will be returning to Human Bunny. Any thoughts, ideas, or requests for Human Bunny, or even ideas on how they can turn him back, feel free to put those in the review. I love hearing opinions and ideas, they make my creative juices flow.
So come on, REVIEW!