Author's Note: Hello, everyone. =) Sorry about the slightly late update. But here's the next chapter for ROT (I am really out of words today ='D).

- Chapter Four -

What Juvenile Sorcery is This?!

Santoff Claussen looked as normal as ever. Still, Jack couldn't help but feel as if something was off.

Upon flying in through the large windows above, Jack immediately noticed the Guardians weren't gathered in the Globe Room. His feet touched the ground, and he sent the Wind on her way. She gave him a quick hair ruffle and retreated to the cold air of the surrounding North Pole. The Guardian of Fun slipped his staff onto his shoulder and began his walk around.

"Hellooooo?" Jack called. "Is anyone here?"

There was no reply. Though, there was evidence of the Guardians' arrival. Jack spotted a few of Tooth's feathers on the ground, and the fireplace seemed to have just been put out. But the Guardians themselves were nowhere to be seen.

Jack frowned. Huh…I wonder where everyone went.

Just in time, a yeti came lumbering in with a broom and dustpan. Jack assumed he was here to clean up Tooth's feathers. It wasn't the molting season, but the Guardian of Memories often lost a few when she was tired or stressed.

Now that Jack thought about it, all the Guardians had been rather busy lately. He wasn't sure if everyone felt under pressure. But believers had been skyrocketing for the past year, forcing them all to keep up. Jack had been busy spreading winter, but he still made an effort to join some children in play when he was up to it.

The Workshop had recently been reignited since this Christmas was predicted to be a big one. Jack couldn't imagine how busy things would be getting around Santoff Claussen, but he made a mental note to drop by and offer help when he could—he wasn't too wrapped up at the moment.

Jack walked up to the yeti and tapped his shoulder. He was a brown furry fellow with an even longer beard than most yetis. The winter spirit recognized him as Noah. He had been making an effort to learn all the yeti in the pole. And thanks to North, he had been getting quite familiar with everyone.

Noah was a close friend of Phil's, but he and Jack weren't on good terms yet. He had been there to witness Jack's many attempts to break in. He often cleaned up his messes after the winter spirit was hauled out. Jack still couldn't help but tease the old yeti, though he never took things too far so he wouldn't ruin the thin veneer of a truce that they possessed.

"Hey, Noah," said Jack kindly. He hoped he'd make a better impression on him, but the yeti still frowned at him. Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you know where Guardians are? I think there's a meeting today."

Noah grunted, and he pointed down the hall toward the library. Jack grinned.

"Thanks, buddy," he said. Noah huffed and went back to his sweeping as Jack strolled down the hallway. The was one of his favorite places in the North Pole; it was just as wondrous as the Workshop. The endless number of books and the window view of the snowy biome outside kept Jack there for hours whenever he came to visit.

The doors were ornately carved with the Guardian symbol. There were depictions of old battles, the Golden Age, and other important events in the Guardian's history. Reverently, Jack ran his fingers over the Guardian's first battle with Pitch. He hadn't been there—why, he hadn't even been born yet—but he had already encountered the Boogeyman enough to his liking.

The Guardians looked so vigilant in the image; it was a complete contrast to how weak they looked in their last battle with him. Pitch had almost won, and Jack knew that he would have if they had lost their last light—Jamie.

The winter spirit often wondered what Pitch was up to down in his lair. They didn't last long. Whatever Pitch planned was never good, and Jack hoped he and the Guardians wouldn't have to see him again for a long time.

Jack pushed open the doors and stepped into the library. The place was empty of elves and yetis. Jack expected to see the Guardians, but they weren't around either. Just some leftover plates, cups, and carrots scattered on the ground near the fireplace.

Jack approached the scene and examined the items, assuming that the elves had made another mess. But all of the items were snacks that he caught the Guardians frequently eating. The winter spirit's brow furrowed and he looked around.

The place was empty, and yet he felt as if he was being watched.

Suddenly, a book fell from one of the shelves, and Jack spun around. Figures shifted behind the full shelves. Jack's heart drummed in his chest. Sensing his unease, the spirit's staff hummed, and a bright blue circled the handle. Jack crouched into a battle-ready position and slowly began his approach.

Everything went still.

Frost curled out from beneath his feet, and his staff was ready to fire at whatever was hiding amongst the books. When Jack was about to blast, an explosion of color suddenly burst out from behind the shelves and tackled him to the ground. Jack's staff clattered out of his hands and he fell over, screaming as he was completely overtaken by—by…

The winter spirit's eyes widened and he stopped struggling. Above him wasn't an elf or Fearling but Tooth.

A very small and very adorable Tooth.

The little fairy's amethyst eyes glowed, and she smiled with delight. "Jackieee!"

Jack stared. "What the—Tooth?!"

Tooth fluttered off of him and giggled. "That's me!"

But it wasn't her. Tooth's voice was several octaves higher. Her eyes were round like gemstones. Her cheeks were chubbier and fuller. Her wings were pink and tiny, and the feathers on her crown had lessened immensely. She was about Sophie's height, if not a few inches taller.

In other words: she was a child.

"B-But why are you so little?" Jack asked. "And so…so cuuute!"

Jack swept Toothiana up and spun her and circles. "Aww…I could just eat you right up!"

Tooth laughed and patted Jack's arm. "Jackie, put me down!"

Jack smiled. "Aw, alright." He set the little girl down and studied her "Has North been experimenting with spells again?"

Tooth shrugged. "I dunno. Ask him."

"Huh?"

Suddenly, out from the shelves came another figure. It was running blindly toward Jack, waving his arms around like knives as he let out what Jack assumed was supposed to be a battle cry (but really just sounded like a kid who had his favorite toy taken away).

Jack bent down and grabbed the kid by the shoulders, stopping him from crashing into him. When the boy looked up. Jack's eyes met with a familiar pair of blue eyes. But something was different. Instead of flashing with authority and wonder, these eyes blazed with the spark of childish mischief.

"North?!" Jack exclaimed. The boy's face broke into a grin—one of his front teeth was missing.

"At your sirvus!" North saluted. He was a little taller than tooth, but still rather small. His hair was a black bird's nest under his furry hat, and his red coat was so oversized, that the end dragged on the floor and his hands poked through the sleeves. All of his age gone, North looked like a complete stranger to Jack.

There was a crash, and Jack turned around. Somehow, North had slipped behind him and nabbed his staff. Next to the boy lay a crushed vase. Jack was pretty sure it had been one of his favorites.

Jack stared, shocked. "Hey, where did you get that?"

North blinked. "Finders keepers!" he hollered, then dashed right passed the winter spirit. Jack lunged for him but missed.

"Hey! Give that back!" Jack yelled. He turned to Tooth, who was still fluttering at his side. "Where are Sandy and Bunny?"

Tooth pointed to the couch. "Sandy's sleeping over there."

Jack followed her finger, and his eyes landed on quite an adorable sight. Sandy, who was now the size of a large pillow, was nestled between the cushions snoozing. Dreamland curled lazily over his head as he slept. With his cheeks as round as the moon and his pudgy little form, Jack couldn't help but melt at the sight.

Aw…I'll let him sleep, he thought.

Tooth proceeded to look around the room. "And Bunny is…ummm…"

"Rabbit ran away," North said, appearing at Jack's side again. The Guardian of Fun jumped in surprise.

"Have you always been this sneaky?" Jack remarked. North shrugged, and before he could run off, Jack snatched his staff out of his hands. North squawked in protest.

"Where did Bunny run off to?" asked Jack.

"Somewhere in library," said North, scratching his head. "He ran off when you came in."

As much as Jack wanted to believe that only North, Tooth, and Sandy had been turned into children, he knew that he was hoping for too much. The winter spirit sighed and looked down the maze of books. What lay before him was only a small section of Santoff Claussen's library. It could take hours to find Bunny in that maze.

But the Pooka was probably scared and confused; he was a child after all. That had to be the reason he ran off. So a couple hours of trekking through the library was something Jack was willing to do to find him.

"Come on, you two," Jack said, walking toward the first aisle. "Let's go find Bunny."

Tooth was at his side in a flash. "Yay! Hide and seek!" she cheered.

"A really big game of hide and seek," North remarked. He tripped over his coat with a yelp and Jack chuckled.

"Here," the winter spirit waved his staff and froze off the long ends of North's coat. With a quick snap of his fingers, they broke off and fell to the ground, melting into thin air at Jack's command.

"That should be manageable for now," said Jack. North spun around in his makeshift coat. He turned toward the first aisle of the library again. "Now, let's find us a Pooka."

…

They had reached aisle nine when Jack was beginning to grow concerned.

North, Tooth, and Jack had been calling and searching for Bunny for about an hour, and he still hadn't shown up. He asked North and Tooth if they were sure this was where he went and both reassured him that he had run somewhere into the labyrinth of books. As magnificent as Santoff Claussen's library was, it was easy to get lost if one didn't know where they were going.

North led them through the maze (since this was his library after all), but it seemed that his sense of direction had plummeted with his age, and they found themselves getting more lost than they were making progress.

"Bunny? Bunnnnyyyyyyy!" Tooth called, cupping her hands to her mouth. She darted up and down the aisles. In and out of bookshelves. "Come out, come out wherever you areeee!"

"This is boring," North yawned. "Can we go now?"

"Not until we find Bunnymund," said Jack. But he did not know when that would be. And to be frank, Jack was getting a little tired himself. He hadn't recovered completely from the shock of discovering the Guardians as children, and he still had a few things to wrap up with his work. If they didn't find Bunny soon, Jack would have to go to tend winter, and he didn't want to leave the Guardians in this position.

"Oo! Oo! I have an idea!" Tooth chirped. "How 'bout we lure Bunny out?"

North brightened. "Like a trap?"

"Yeah!"

"That's…not a bad idea," said Jack. It would be much better than wandering around aimlessly in the library.

North grinned his gap-toothed grin. "Now we just need some bite."

"I think you mean 'bait,'" Jack corrected. He smiled impishly. "And I know just the thing."

…

The trio returned to the front of the library. Everything was still as they had left it. Tooth fluttered over to the table and picked up a fallen carrot. She zoomed up to Jack and held it before him proudly.

Jack smiled and took the carrot out of her hands. "Thanks, Tooth."

Tooth giggled with glee. "You're welcome!"

Jack turned around and held the carrot out toward the shelves. Bunny was a Pooka, and he often boasted about his impeccable nose. He could catch scents from far away. Now it was time to really put his sense of smell to the test.

"Bunnyyyyy," Jack called, waving the carrot side to side as if he were using it to hypnotize. "We know you're out there…I have a big, juicy carrot waiting out here for you. I'd really hate to throw it out—WHOA!"

There was a flash of gray. The carrot was snatched out of Jack's hand. Spinning around, Jack found himself looking down at a miniature Bunny…but not Bunny at the same time. His fur was a little more disheveled, especially at the top of his head. His eyes were wide and round. The most significant change was the fact that Jack was looking down at Bunny instead of up. His cherished 6'1 height status had been shrunk to about the average height of a six-year-old kid.

The carrot he had taken from Jack's hand was long gone. In one single gulp, the vegetable was gone. Bunny sighed contently.

"Crikey, that's good," he said. Then, the Pooka froze, realizing that he had just been dragged out with the oldest trick in the book. He looked up. Jack was snickering. Tooth and North smiled.

"Found you," Jack quipped.

If Pooka's could blush, Bunny just might have. His ears flicked (adorably) in rage. "You're such a jerk!" he shouted.

Jack held his hands up innocently. "Hey, it was Tooth's idea."

Bunny whirled around and glared at Tooth. The Tooth Fairy shivered. There was nothing more terrifying than the unbottled fury of an embarrassed Pooka.

"I told ya I didn't want to be seen like this, ya galah! Why couldn't you just leave me alone?!" Bunny snapped.

Tooth's lower lip wobbled, and she burst into tears. "I was only trying to help!"

Jack quickly intervened. "Whoa, Bunny, leave her alone! She didn't do anything wrong."

Bunny looked at him. "But—!"

Jack frowned. "Apologize right now."

Bunny was about to argue again but then he glanced at Tooth. Tears glittered down her cheeks, and she sniffed; her feathers trembling. North was trying to comfort her, but failing (sword-fights were not very pacifying statements of comfort). Guilt quickly replaced the anger that had been raging through him earlier. Bunny's eyes dropped to his paws, ashamed.

"...Sorry." Tooth looked up, her eyes still watery. Bunny glanced at her. "I didn't mean ta make you cry."

In a heartbeat, Tooth's tears were gone and she brightened. The little fairy threw her arms around Bunny, surprising the Pooka. "It's okay! I forgive you!" she said kindly.

Bunny protested loudly, but Tooth still held on. From the couch, Sandy floated over. He had just woken up and was rubbing sleep out of his eyes

"Oh…you guys woke Sandy," Jack chided lightly. He looked at the tiny Sandman—Sandboy?—and smiled. "How are you feeling, buddy?"

Standing next to him, Sandy was about the size of a table lamp. The short fellow looked up at the winter spirit, a few images swirling over his head.

"Like I've slept for a century," Sandy replied.

Jack smiled. "Yeah, naps really do wonders." Jack looked at each of the Guardians standing before him. "Now that you're all here…what the heck happened to you guys?!"

Bunny snorted. "You haven't noticed? We got turned into kids."

"I can see that," Jack said indignantly. "But how?"

While North, Tooth, and Sandy played around with his dreamland in the background, Bunny took responsibility and explained.

"We came for a Guardian meeting that you were late to. We paused in the middle because Tooth forgot to eat breakfast—"

"Absolutely dis-pickle-bull," commented North.

Bunny stared at him. "It's 'despicable,' mate. Wow, your pronunciation was this bad even as a child?"

North frowned. "Could say the same to you about your anger-ish-shoes"

"Oi—!"

"Bunny, focus," Jack chastised. "Was this one of North's spells?"

Bunny glared at him. "If it was, the gumby probably would've changed us back by now. But he hasn't. Also, why would he spell himself?"

"Hey! I'm not a gummy!" North argued.

Bunny ran a paw over his face. "Dear Moon…"

Jack, however, wasn't focused on the argument. He was left feeling more confused than before. "But if this isn't a spell…how do we change you guys back?"

"Does it look like we have an answer?" quipped Bunny.

Jack was beginning to wish Bunny's sass had aged down too.

"We can figure this out later," Sandy spoke up. His dreamsand raced over his head. "Right now, you need to cover for us until we can change back."

Jack's eyes widened. "You want me to juggle all of your jobs? I know I'm immortal, but I'm not invincible."

"You don't have to work alone!" Tooth chirped. She grinned. "We can help!"

"We're children, mate," Bunny stated.

"So?"

"So we won't be of much help in the state we're in," Bunny elaborated. Tooth frowned.

"It's fine," said Jack. "You guys hang tight, and I'll handle your work. After, we can do some investigating. Sandy, Bunny, I'm putting you guys in charge."

Bunny and Sandy grinned while North was completely appalled.

"What? Why!? I'm the leader!" he cried.

"One, because you stole my staff," Jack said. He tapped the young Guardian of Wonder's nose, to which he growled. Jack recoiled. "And two, because I'm petty."

And child North is a little too chaotic to look out for everyone, the winter spirit silently added.

North's cheeks turned red and he balled his hands into fists. "They aren't the bosses of me!" he shouted. "And neither are you!"

"Would you rather spend your time standing in a corner until I get back?" Jack asked cooly.

North blinked, surprised. Bunny snickered in the background. Jack tapped his fingers against his staff.

His cheeks now red with embarrassment, North looked away. "N-No…"

"Then Bunny and Sandy are in charge," said Jack, making his way to the door. "Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone, alright?"

From behind him, Jack heard Bunny say to North. "You just got scolded by Jack. How does that feel, mate?"

"Shuddup, rabbit," North spat.

"Good luck, Jackie!" Tooth called out.

Jack turned around and flashed one last smile.

"See you in a bit."

Author's Note: To be frank, I think Jack would make a pretty good parent. XD I made sure to pack as much Papa Jack as possible throughout this story. X)

As for the child Guardians...man, they are way too much fun to write. XD I didn't want them to completely act like children, but I wanted them to someone have a childishness to them (does that make sense? QwQ). I don't know if I executed that well here (and in future chapters), but I've learned writing is one giant experiment. You don't know it until you try it. X)

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one. =D

Until the next chapter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203