*Antarctica*

(Baby Tooth)

The icy winds pressed against her feathers almost freezing them solid. She prayed next to her friend. Praying for her mother, guardians, anyone that could help Jack. A tear froze half way down her face. She hoped someone would come, but there was no one there when she looked to the white air.

With every time she looked, she lost sight of bits of hope she had for help.

She forgot what time was as she stayed by Jack's side. His face twisted in fear and pain as he slept. The once pure white snow and blue ice turned crimson red around the walls and ground. Blood was now fully covering his hoodie and bits of his pants. She could barely catch any sound from his mouth because of the harsh winds. But from time to time she could catch a small whimper or gasp. This took place for a while or that's what it felt like.

When the third wave of black sand/nightmare came Jack coughed in his sleep. The fairy saw blood trail slowly down from his mouth. This fact terrified her and she couldn't take in anymore or wait much longer. Her eyes filled with tears and rage. 'I can wait any longer. If I do, Jack will die, and I can't let him die like this. He deserves to live, and as a copy of the guardian of memory. I will protect Jack, as he is still a child.' Determination boiled and she wiped away her frozen tears. She forced the cold as best she could to the back of her mind. She got to her feet and gave Jack's hand a squeeze and let go.

Shivering slightly from the cold she walked to the wall where she saw Jack hit many times with his body. Frozen blood laced on a few sharp edges. She looked to the wall looking at places that can be used as handles or steps.

Placing one hand on a small edge and her foot in a small slit in the wall, she pulled with what strength she had. Baby Tooth climbed up and up as far as she could as her body's strength depleted with every inch she managed to climb.

(9 feet up the wall)

a ledge was within a few inches from her. As hope began to rise it fell just as fast as it came, for her foot slipped from the slit in the wall.

Air rushed around her as she fell down to the floor. Strength filled her and she warmed up within a second. Her wings came to life inches away from the ice beneath her. She opened her eyes, shocked.

'This means they got the belief back,' she thought with a smile on her face. Blowing out a sigh of relief as she had almost died. Remembering the matter at hand she looks at her still unconscious friend that was still under the effects of the nightmare. Hope and true determination finally finds her, bringing strength back and thawing the rest of the ice with magic.

'I'll get help, please hold on a little longer.' She said in her thoughts sadly and flew into the air. Every fiber in her body is shivering from the blizzard. But she can't help but feel a warmth in her heart as if Jack is still protecting her even with him unconscious. She looks back at her friend one last time. She tightens her fists and fights the cold. With barely any strength in her wings she turned around and took off into the Antarctic sky, as the cold winds whip around harshly with ice and snow.

*With the guardians*

The three guardians walk to the hole. Examining the strange bed frame and menacing shadows lurking beneath. Every shadow under the trees near the opening slithered as if they were snakes.

Loud thumps and rustling leaves sounded behind them. A fuzzy large bunny as tall as a man came up behind the three. Bunny stops appearing beside Tooth. His eyes were focused on the opening in the earth. His face became more serious as the shadows had a very dark aura.

"Do you really think my fairies are in there?" Tooth looks to Bunny worried.

"I'm sad to say, but I am positive they are down there. So let's not waist anymore time waiting." Bunny jumps into the dark hole and grunts as his feet hit the hard ground without much brace in his legs. Which surprises him as the ground was closer than he thought. He yells to the others his paws cupped to the he sides of his mouth. "Guys be careful it's very narrow, but it's a short drop!"

Tooth flies slowly down with Sandy's glow behind her. The sandman floats down to the floor with Tooth fluttering worriedly at his sides. She looks around at the menacing cavern and the shadows present on the walls. It was clear the guardians were entering the Boogeyman's domain.

Looking around Bunny can feel the darkness lurking. "Bloody Hell, this place is definitely the Nightmare Kings place. Has all the dark features."

North's struggled grunts are heard as he struggles to get through the narrow opening. The guardians turn to see something that instantly makes the mood change. Bunny is barely able to hold back a chuckle as he sees North's legs and the rest of him stuck in the ceiling. Sandy doesn't hold back his silent laughter. While Tooth covers her mouth with her hands trying not to laugh out loud.

After a few seconds of struggling North lands on his butt as he crashes to the floor. He quickly gets up onto his feet as he blushes clearly embarrassed. Dismissing everything, North looks around at the grim walls and the strange platforms that had upside down stairs, slanted platforms, and other twisted structures. "This place is going to be hard to navigate." North said through the thick silence.

"How about we split up, it can help us cover more ground," Toothiana suggested, the rest nodding in response. North and Sandy paired while Bunny and Tooth grouped up.

"If you find anything holler, and be careful. We don't know what we're up against here. Pitch might have traps to prevent anyone from getting in or around the place. So keep your guard up." Sandy thumbs up while the rest nod at Bunny.

They wave to each other one last time before going off into groups of two. North walk as Sandy floats on his sand cloud as Tooth and Aster go out of sight. They both walk through a few twisting hallways for a short while. They breach to a larger area, the walls are high, there are more strange structures as well.

'My stomach is telling me something very wrong. But vhat could it be.' North thought.

With the feeling of something wrong intensified. North grabs on to a nearby wall. The guardian of dreams floats in front of him slightly. His fingers touch something cold. He gasps as the cold spreads up his hand making him go away from the wall. The gasp makes Sandy look in North's direction with his whips in his hands. "North, what is it?" Sandy signed.

North looks at where his hand used to be. A row of frost covers the wall. As North looks more to the ceiling the frost gets thicker to be more like ice. "What the..." North said confused.

Sandy follows North's gaze. At the sight of the his eyes grew wide. North looks to the ground a looking as if betrayed.

Remembering his confusion of where the frost spirit was. Sandy signs a question mark, Jack's shepherd crook, and a snowflake. Asking, where is Frost and what happed.

"Sandy..." North pauses, but gains some confidence. "Jack betrayed us. I'll explain while we walk." North patted his friend on the shoulder before walking ahead.

Sandy is shocked at North's words. Looking to the wall covered in frost he becomes more confused. 'Why would Jack betray us. That doesn't sound like the kid. He is way to bright with innocence to do something like that. Why do I have a bad feeling?' Sandy thought and takes one last glance at the wall before following the guardian of Wonder.

North starts to tell the story with his eyes not looking into the Sandman's . "After you died, well kinda." Motioning to him. North continued, "Ve all took it very hard, including da kid. But when ve finally had a plan to get the belief back with Easter. Zats when all went wrong." North paused, then sighed. "Zhis part isn't so easy to tell, my friend."

"When we finally got Easter prepared after a little incident. With that incident being a kid accidentally getting into the warren." North chucked a little remembering how fun it was.

North expression turned immediately back into a frown. He continued, "Zhen kid got tuckered out towards the end when ve were about to send the eggs to ze surface. Jack volunteered to bring ze girl home, but a few minutes after he left Nightmares attacked. Nothing made it to ze surface in turn ruining Easter."

"After most belief was gone, Jack turned up. He held memory canister in hiz hand and the fairy he saved was now gone. Ve sent him off after finding out he traded fairy for hiz teeth. And after that ve went to defeat Pitch, but for some reason there weren't many Nightmares as before. That's when ve got you back, and you know ze rest." They continue down the dark corridors with no windows or doors.

Sandy looked to the ground thinking and feeling something wrong. After hearing the story something felt off about it to him. 'If Jack made a deal with Pitch, why is there frost and ice on the wall? I've seen him fight and that is one of his attack spells. I don't think we have all the information. Wait what if...' Sandy's thoughts trailed off.

(Bunny and Tooth)

Tooth screech echoed through the labyrinth as her and Bunny reached the main room. What they saw was horrifying. Tooth's fairies were in black cages hanging from the ceiling. All the tooth boxes were on the floor. Tooth immediately took action,"Bunny, help me get them out!" Tooth zoomed to one of the cages shaking it violently. The fairies tweeted Loudly. "It won't budge," Tooth said her breath falling heavy and her wings fluttering faster.

"Don't worry Sheila, we'll get them out." Bunny tries to calm his comrade. Looking around for a key he spots a bright light toward the center of the room. "Tooth come here, help me find a key," Bunny shouts to Tooth.

Following quickly behind him they find a black colored globe with light everywhere. "Is that a globe of belief?" Tooth fluttered to the metal sphere. "Why would Pitch have one. I thought North was the only one with a globe of belief."

"He probably created it to track our movements and power. It makes sense how he knew where to find us in Burgees," Bunny said. Walking around the globe something shimmering caught his eye. "A key!" The little fairies in the cages tweeted louder with happiness in response of the word 'key'. Bunny reached into the middle of the globe in the spaces open through the ocean areas.

Tooth flew to the nearest black cage. The giant rabbit followed jumping from a few structures then hoping onto the cage in front of Tooth. holding a key made of black metal. She hovers by Aster's side as he gets to the door. Bunny steadies himself as the cage shakes from his weight. Slowly he is able to move the key into the lock. As it turns a loud medal sound comes from the hinges as it opens. The little fairies quickly fly to their mother. Taking in the embrace she smiles, hugging all her helpers.

Bunny smiles a softly as Tooth is joined back up with her helpers. Turning his attention back to unlocking the other doors he jumps to the cage next to him. It tilts as he lands. Releasing the captive fairies. Bunny repeats the process multiple times until all of them are free from their prisons.

Once he finishes, Tooth is let go from all of the fairies little hugs. They all slowly descend to the floor. Bunny jumps from the cages onto the hard concrete. The cages sway side to side with loud creaks.

She smiles happily and says, "I'm glad all of you are alright." Suddenly the mood in the fairies changes. Most of the fairies show signs of sadness and pain. While others show grief and shame. The two guardians take a notice of this.

"What's wrong?" A fairy tweets to her mother and gives her a yellow feather only she and one of her fairies possess. "Baby Tooth..." Toothiana said while clutching the tiny feather. "What did he do to her? Where is she? Why did he take her?" Tooth asked with tears in her eyes, about to fall.

"Tooth what did they say?" Bunny asked.

Tooth's saddened eyes peered into Bunny's. "Pitch took Baby Tooth somewhere before we fought him. And they don't know where she is. And when he returned he didn't have her with him." Tooth words were barely above a whisper. Her gaze went to the floor, a single tear hit the ground.

Playing her words in his mind his anger returned to a certain someone. "That little rat I'm gonna kill him." Bunny crossed his arms as his eyes narrowed and his teeth gritted.

"But Pitch is already gone."

"Not Pitch! I'm talkin about Jack Frost! It's his fault Baby Tooth even got into Pitch's grasp in the first place! If he hadn't traded her for his teeth none of this would have happened. If we hadn't of trusted the buger, Easter wouldn't have been ruined! Bloody Hell If I even see him again I'm gon..." Bunny was painfully slapped by a tiny hand, halting his rant.

He stumbled back, shocked that one of the little fairies slapped him. "What in the bloody hell was that for!" The fairy came eye to eye with the giant rabbit. Her tweets filled his ears as she began coming closer angrily.

Not being able to understand the language he became confused on why she was angry. He had just saved them as well, so it didn't make sense. But before he could respond after she stopped yelling. Toothiana gasped loudly.

"What do you mean Jack didn't trade Baby Tooth for his teeth?"

"What?!" Bunny asked, stunned.

North's voice suddenly boomed through the labyrinthine making everyone jump and be quiet. "Come on, they must be this way!" North shouted, sounding alarmingly urgent. Sandy's glow appears in an entryway near the bottom of the globe platform. "Mate's, over here!" Bunny slides down the slanted wall near the door. Tooth and her fairies fly down, following Bunnymund.

The other groups enter the large area. Out of breath North slumps over with his hands on his knees panting. Sandy floats on his dream cloud holding something. His eyes are saddened, and are looking downward at the item. The little fairies know immediately what it is and look away. Knowing exactly what it is, and its origins.

"Sandy, what is that?" Tooth asked, concerned.

The little golden man holds up a golden canister. He gives the golden canister with a teenage boy face on it to Tooth. The guardian of memory's heart sinks as she recognizes the mischievous smirk. "This. is... Jack's memory box. But didn't he have it after the Easter incident." She looks into North's pupils. "That isn't all we found, Toothy." North pulled two pieces of a broken stick in front of Bunny and Tooth.

The little fairies and the two guardians eyes widened. "Is that...," Bunny stuttered.

"Yes." A broken shepherd staff that once held frost, and belonged to a mischievous winter spirit, laid in North's hands. Dark as night and its wielder nowhere to be found.

Tooth gasps putting her hands to her mouth. She backs away a little. "No," Tooth hisses under her breath.

"North, can you take us back to the Pole. I think we've had enough surprises for one day." Bunny asked with his ears dropped. He gives a nod, and reaches into his pocket. North places the globe to his lips and whispers, "Workshop."

Throwing it to the ground a vortex opens into the North Pole. Everyone trails through with sad faces. The Pole is quiet as they walk into the room. The elves pranks have stopped and Yeti's gift make have ceased. Phil's comes up to North as the rest of the guardians go off into the globe room.

"What happened?" Phil said in his language.

"We defeated Pitch, but..," North paused. "We made a mistake. It led to a death of our newest member. Prepare funeral arrangements. We'll be in the globe room." North hands Phil Jack's now broken staff. Tears start to fall down the usually jolly face of North. As he walks away Phil looks into his hands and sees a familiar staff broken in half.

'This is Jack's staff. Wait does that mean he's dead.' The yeti thought to himself.

Phil starts to say sadly to his fellow yeti's, "Prepare preparations for Jack Frost." All the yeti's do as told, but some can't help but cry a little since they had known the kid since they used to play with him when he came to the pole.

Phil then took one last look at the staff. It was dark as night and it held no more magic. And with that knowledge he knew he was never going to see the kid again.

Later...

All the guardians sit in the globe room. Sandy stared out the window into the snowy land scape. While North sat in a chair next to a plate of cookies he didn't have the stomach to touch. Bunny sat near the fireplace with a blank face. His ears were droopy as he hugged himself in silence. Tooth sat with her fairies flying next to her.

She looked endlessly at the golden canister in her hands. Looking at every detail, the boy had brown hair and eyes. He wore early 17 hundred clothes, and his teeth were as white as snow just like the winter spirit they once knew.

'I wonder what his past life was like. I wonder why did Manny choose him. Maybe if we looked at his memories we could...'

Loud thumps came from the other side of the door, catching everyone's attention. Phil suddenly burst through the door yelling. North instantly got out of his chair. "What is it?" He held out a fairy that was shivering. Tooth rushed out of her chair leaving Jack's memory box on the chair. Going straight to her fairies side. "Baby Tooth, you're alive!" She took the fairy into her arms. The other guardians came to her as she held Baby Tooth.

Baby Tooth slowly got up. She smiled weakly at her mother and sisters. "Oh Sweet Tooth you're as cold as ice. Let's get you by the fire." Toothiana said to her. Baby Tooth said stop to her mother, holding her hands up in motion for her to not.

She spoke quickly, sounding urgent. "Mother you need to help him. He needs help. Jack won't last much longer if we don't get him aid, please." She said close to tears.

Tooth being the only one to understand her, plus her sisters. Tooth looked to her and asked concerned, "Where is he?"

"Antarctica," The fairy replied.

(On the other side of the Earth)

Jack whimpers in his sleep clutching the red snow. More blood escapes his mouth as he turns his head from side to side.

The nightmare above his head begins turning slightly red. After a while of torment in his dreams his face relaxed from fear, but not from pain. Simultaneously, a part of Jack's hair turns black.