Sorry I haven't wrote in a while, but keeping up most of my time, I was writing a really long chapter to something else I'm working on. Now it's done, so maybe I can work on my fanfictions a little. I really liked writing this chapter. I hope you really like reading it. Enjoy.


I woke up shortly after falling asleep; no longer tired and frankly a bit disappointed. How was I going to interrogate Pitch on where my memories were? Oh well, back to plan A. I looked around and I didn't see Jack anywhere. He must have been scouting the area; making sure Pitch didn't sneak attack us while I was out of commission. I wondered what Jack was thinking during that time; did he figure out what was going on with me? I really hoped he didn't. I got up and brushed myself off.

"Mini-me," I said in my head. "Come in, Mini-me." All I heard was static. That was strange.

"Mini-me, come in; did you find the sand grain yet?" Nothing but static; usually I get mini-me, not static. I thought I knew what was going on.

"Oh I get it, you're being difficult. You know I'll stop pestering you once you find it and destroy it, so find it already!" Static again; I found it odd, for Mini-me never gave me the silent treatment before; Snarking, yes, snide comments, she's your girl, but never the silent treatment. I figured even illusions could surprise you. I decided to go look for Jack. It took me a little bit, but I found him, ever so alert.

"Jack," I cried happily. "There you are! I'm ready to go now." He turned to face me, he did not look happy. He was probably upset I went into 'stasis' all of a sudden, without warning.

"Oh, I'm sorry about what happened back there. Sometimes I just get overwhelmed…and I need to think."

"Did you think?" asked Jack darkly. "Do you know what you want?"

"Of course I do," I said nervously. "You know I want my memories. That's what we're trying to get."

"Oh really," said Jack. "I have a feeling you want more than that." He started to approach me slowly, and I started to back away.

"What else would I want?" There were other things I wanted, but with the way Jack was talking, who knows what he was thinking.

"You've lied to me, Ema," said Jack raising his staff at me. "You've been lying to everyone. How can anyone even trust you?" I tripped and fell backward.

"It's who I am and you know it," I was starting to get scared now.

"I have the feeling I've never known you, really. Now I'm starting to see you for who you really are; you don't even deserve to exist!" That was my cue. I got up and started to run away. It seemed like the other guardians were nearby, and they started chasing me too. They got really close a few times. That's when I noticed something funny; I was running for my life, not flying. I took a look at my hands, I wasn't translucent; I felt at my back, no weapons. I tripped, and flipped myself over. As the guardians got closer I came to a very important realization.

"This isn't real," I said panicked. "THIS IS JUST A NIGHTMARE!" Everything around me then dissolved in black sand, and left me in that familiar dark room.

"Now Ema," said a voice behind me. I slowly turned my head towards the sound. "What have I told you; even though it's not real, it's more honest than you can ever hope to be." There he was, standing behind me. I jumped back in the opposite direction, because I was already jumpy and was pretty startled by that. After I caught my breath however, I got to my feet.

"Well Ema, I've got to admit you have a lot guts pulling yourself into the nightmare like that, even when you knew the risks."

"First of all," I said. "What are you talking about? Second of all, there aren't many risks; just a bad dream and you. Lastly, and may I add, most importantly…WHERE ARE MY MEMORIES YOU SHADOW-SNEAKING VILLAIN!"

"Ah yes," said Pitch amused. "The reason you pulled yourself in."

"What the heck are you talking about?! Never mind, I don't need to know; just tell me where my memories are Pitch, I know you have them!"

"And you think I'm just going to hand them over to you?"

"Of course not; it'd be too easy. Just tell me where they are!"

"Oh, I think I get it now; you think you can just come to my lair and fight me for your memories." I didn't know what to say to that. He made it sound like I just couldn't win, I sort of believed him. Of course, then I remembered our fight from earlier.

"You're no match for me. I beat you last time."

"Oh that fight," Pitch chuckled. "To be honest, Ema, I wasn't even giving it my all."

"You were going easy on me?! Why?! Why would you do that?!" He then looked me dead in the eyes and changed to a serious tone.

"Because, it doesn't take that much for me to beat you." That stung, but then I remembered the outcome of the fight.

"You may have believed that, but you were wrong. I beat you."

"You only beat me because I wanted you to."

"Why would you want me to beat you?"

"For multiple reasons: One, I wanted to see what you were really made of. Two, I wanted to get inside your head. It worked." I was starting to get mad.

"Why are you doing this to me? Why can't you leave me alone? Let me have my memories back!"

"Oh, the memories you want so badly," he disappeared and reappeared behind me, which made me jump. "You don't even care what they hold. Whether they say you're a bad person or not, you would do whatever it took to get them, even if it involves hurting others."

"I haven't harmed anyone," I protested.

"I beg to differ, you have nearly done it many times," he said reappearing behind me, causing me to jump again.

"Stop doing that!" He continued.

"You have almost unleashed your fury on many a people." Images began to appear on the walls of every time I nearly hurt someone. At Cupids place when attacking the door, the leprechauns when I nearly attacked the log-keeper, the groundhogs when I nearly strangled him, the explosion and suggestion for maiming at the demons place. This rattled my core; I couldn't believe I nearly hurt all those people. I was a monster. I fell on my knees.

"The only things keeping you back were the people close to you." Images of Jack stopping me appeared all around me.

"No one should stop you though. You were right, people should receive punishment for their carelessness, for every way they wrong you. You should be free to do as you please, with no one stopping you, no one limiting you. You could be capable of so much, but people stop you from becoming anything but their puppet, they limit you because they are afraid of you." I didn't know what to believe. What he said sounded true, I hated his approval of my rage and revenge.

"I don't want to think about them, or anything you say, all I want is my memories. Why can't you give them to me? How can you be so cruel?"

"Cruel? Me? You lie to everyone, and yet you call me cruel."

"Because you are; I'm begging you; please, give me my memories back." I was starting to cry.

"I'll give you your memories back," he said leaning in close. "If you give me what I want."

"What would that be?" I said bitterly.

"For a very long time, all I've ever wanted was a protégé."

"No," I said quietly. "All you've ever wanted is revenge, no one standing in the way of it, and power. That's why you target me; yet I don't know why you believe that. I'm nothing, and even if I was something, there's no way I'd give you what you want. Jack is my friend, and I will not hurt him. I will not become like you." Pitch gave a frustrated groan.

"I don't know why you keep resisting Ema; why you keep denying me. You know the world is cruel to you, and everyone finds you unpleasant, and that there is no way to achieve what you desire on your own. You just keep believing everything they tell you to, but you know we have so much in common already."

"You're a villain," I spat. "I'm not." He leaned in close to me again.

"Trust me when I tell you this Ema, you're very close." He backed away a little. "You claim you don't want to hurt Jack, but you've hurt him every time you lied to him. In fact, you're hurting him as we speak."

"How so," I spat.

"You pulled yourself into this nightmare; every other time you got drowsy you shook it off, but this time you allowed yourself to fall asleep, because you wanted to talk to me. Of course, you didn't look at all the consequences of your actions."

"I don't know what you're talking about, why don't you enlighten me?"

"You know all about illusions, and I know all about nightmares. So how about you tell me?"

The realization dawned on me.

"You set this up," I said in shock.

"Actually, Ema, in all honesty, you did." He chuckled as I got to my feet. I charged him, and he disappeared, leaving me to fall into darkness.


The truth hurts doesn't it, no wonder Ema lies all the time. Anyway, I have some more writing to catch up on, so tell me what you think in your reviews. See you next time.

-Admiring