Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Beginning

The evening air was frigid as it whipped against Jack’s face, stinging his eyes as he propelled himself faster. Adrenaline pounded through his body as he pursued his Nightmare. The black sand creature swerved around houses, trees, and various other obstacles trying to lose the young boy, but Jack was too nimble. The Mare veered up the wall in a last-ditch effort to elude his pursuer, but before it could disappear from sight, Jack blasted a final icy blow from his staff, managing to clip it.

“I got it!” Jack shouted stepping onto the roof. With child-like wonder, he prodded the now frozen pile of sand with the opposite end of his staff.

“Sandy! Sandy, did you see that? Look at this thing.”

“Frost?” A man emerged out from the shadows, eyeing the boy.

Jack, jerked around and shot a wave of frost across the rooftop. Pitch sidestepped into the shadows before reappearing on the adjoining rooftop, he peered down from his vantage point.

“You know, for a 'neutral party' you spend an awful lot of time with those weirdos, this isn't your fight, Jack.”

“You made it my fight when you stole those teeth.” Jack retorted, narrowing his eyes, his weapon clutched in his hands. The Nightmare King regarded him curiously.

“Teeth? Why do you care about the teeth?” He muttered.

Movement from his peripheral caught Pitch of guard. He swung around and took a few steps back from Sandy’s sudden intimidating appearance.

“Now this is who I'm looking for--”

Sandy was quick to attack. He cracked his sand whip nearly hitting Pitch, but Pitch managed to duck and dodge, almost falling over, but he kept his footing.
Pitch formed his black sand into a giant scythe and swipped at his opponent, the deadly weapon whistled as it sliced through the air. He forced Sandy to the edge of the rooftop before, with a crack of his whip, Sandy threw the Nightmare King into the air and slammed him into the cement building. He continued to hurl Pitch’s body into several buildings until finally tossing him into the streets below.

Pitch ricocheted off the top of a car, sounding the alarm, before toppling over onto the asphalt in a heap.

“Remind me not to get on your bad side…” Jack said as they floated down to the ground

“Okay, easy! You can't blame me for trying, Sandy. You don't know what it's like to be weak and hated. It was stupid of me to mess with your dreams. So, I'll tell you what-” He pleaded pathetically as they approached him. Pitch stumbled a bit as he pulled himself up, his eyes burned with pure loathing as he then finished his sentiment with a low growl, “you can have them back.”

Nightmares seemed to crawl out from the darkness all around them in impressive numbers. The creatures snorted and stomped the ground with menace as they surrounded the group.

Onyx, Pitch’s second in command, took form from underneath his master raising him off the ground. The Nightmare King leaned forward, a thin smile stretched across his face as if intimidating a child, “Boo!”

The massive army of Nightmares began to charge.

Just then, North's sleigh careened through the clouds and circled overhead the commotion. The sleigh dipped toward Pitch flying only a few feet over his head; as it passed over him.

North was asleep at the wheel, with Bunny and Toothy also snoozing in the sleigh. It clipped one of its runners as it flew over City Hall, jolting them all to attention.
Still battling Nightmares, Sandy propelled himself and Jack into the air with his Dreamsand and launched Jack away from the Nightmares. Jack quickly oriented himself and destroyed an oncoming Nightmare with his staff.

Toothy rushed off the side of the sleigh to aid Jack and Sandy in anyway she could. Jack had destroyed a few more Nightmares with his staff and looked up to see Toothy fly into view through the swarm of Nightmares. She sliced them apart with her thin, powerful wings, causing them to explode into lifeless grains once more.
Pitch signaled his horses and leapt into the air, leading another wave of Nightmares after the Guardians from above.

Bunny jumped out of the sleigh and landed on a nearby roof. He aggressively hurled his boomerang, disintegrating every Nightmare in its path. Bunny caught the returning boomerang, hopped off the roof, and grabbed the runners of the sleigh as it passed by. North stood, drawing both his scimitars, and diced the oncoming Nightmares to bits as they attacked.

“Come on!” North bellowed.

Jack headed back to the sleigh by dodging two Nightmares at the last second, causing them to collide. As he continued his descent, Jack was blind sided by another Nightmare, knocking the staff from his hands. For a moment, he was in a state of pure panic as he found himself in a free fall. He finally managed to seize the staff, control his descent, and land on the sleigh as it flew by.

“You might want to duck.” Bunny advised smugly. Jack ducked down as a Nightmare reared up behind him, but one of Bunny's boomerangs blasted through it and zipped back to his awaiting paw. He smirked coolly.

Sandy high in the clouds, did his best to subdue the hoard that was swirling around him. Pitch rose from behind the Nightmares, stretched his arm behind him as an arrow of Nightmare Sand formed, and drew back ready to fire.

Jack and the Guardians regarded their dark horses that sped away to join their herd. Sandy looked overwhelmed by the onslaught. “We gotta help Sandy!” Jack urged.
North cracked the reigns, turned the sleigh, and sped towards the swirling cloud of yellow and black sand.

Pitch took aim and released the arrow. It flew through the air and into Sandy's back, exploding on impact. The Guardians looked on, horrified.
“No!” Jack leapt ahead of the sleigh and flew toward Sandy.

Sandy shuddered as the fear spread through out his small body turning him into black sand. He turned to face his attacker, locking eyes.
“Don't fight the fear, little man.” Pitch sneered with a laugh.

The Guardians continued to make their way to Sandy, but Nightmares began to collide with the sleigh, slowing their progress.

Pitch relished this moment of triumph, “I'd say sweet dreams, but there aren't any left.” Sandy convulsed with pure terror, the darkness quickly over-taking him.
Sandman stood, welcoming his fate, and closed his eyes as he and his Dreamsand cloud were consumed by the writhing blackness of the Nightmare sand.

“Sandy...” North muttered softly, stunned.

“No...NO!” Screamed Jack in anguish. Sandy was gone.

Pitch noticed Jack flying straight at him, glowing energy emanating from his staff. Pitch raised his hands and sent a massive wave of Nightmares towards the sprite.
Jack realized that he was in over his head as the charging Nightmares overtook him leaving nothing but silence. Pitch looked on, pleased with himself, until a bolt of lightning erupted from within the writhing black mass.

A gust of wind blew past Pitch, followed by a massive wave of frost that rocketed up the stream of Nightmare sand towards him, culminating in an explosion of ice and snow.

Pitch's scream could still be heard as he plummeted far off.

Jack, now unconscious, began falling back towards the hard ground. Toothy darted up, catching him in her arms before setting him down gently in the sleigh.

“Jack, how did you do that?” Toothy asked tentatively as he regained consciousness.

“I- I didn't know I could.” He stuttered out.

Pitch pulled himself laboriously from the mud and weeds amongst the trees where he had crash-landed, oddly, he was delighted. He looked up to see a bright glow; North's snow globe portal. The sleigh zoomed into it and vanished. Pitch shook the frost from his arms as scores of Nightmares swarmed behind him, regrouping after the blast.

“Finally! Someone who knows how to have a little fun!”

Once the Guardians had returned to North's Palace, there was only silence within the small group. Around them was the chaos of the Yetis building toys, testing them out, and chatting. Elves were trying their best to help make their own toys, though they were just harming one another more than anything.
The Guardians made their way inside; a myriad of emotions thick in the air. Bunnymund exploded with anger and kicked a nearby ball, it flew into a large stack of robot toys; the yeti that was repainting them red groaned in frustration.

“What were you thinking, Jack? Trying to take on Pitch without us.” Bunny growled.

“Keep it together, Bunny.” North warned.

“Keep it together?!”

The activities all around them slowed to a stop to watch the scene unfolding before them. “Sandy's gone, he's gone!” North sighed sadly. He took his hat from his head and rubbed his temples.

“I know that...” North muttered.

“Pitch is picking us off one by one and you want me to keep it together?” Bunny seethed.

“He's right... We're losing kids by the minute.” Toothy’s voice wavered with choked down tears, “Pitch's plan is actually working...” North placed his hat back on his head and approached the other three, stopping by Jack. Jack was glaring the pooka down.

“Yes, but now we have something he wasn't planning on.” North stated confidently and placed a comforting hand on Jack's shoulder.

“Do you have any idea how you might have done that?” Toothy asked Jack, again referring to that frost explosion. The other Guardians looked towards Jack to see what his answer would be.

“I don't know...” Jack muttered.

“Bonzer! He doesn't even know what he did!” Bunnymund hollered, he couldn't believe his ears. They all looked over to Bunny and frowned.

“What he did was save us.” Toothy fought back. She flew right into Bunny's face and glared at him.

“Not all of us!” He shouted back. Toothy, surprised at the aggression, backed off. “Not all of us...” He muttered again looking away from the eyes glued to him.

“Bunny, ENOUGH!” North commanded. He rubbed the sides of his nose in frustration and sighed. “Now, we are all upset...”

“But we can't turn on one another.” North continued as he approached Bunnymund and Toothiana.

“Sandy wouldn't want that.” She agreed solemnly.

“No, of course not...” Bunny conceded.

“Sandy would want us to go on.” Toothy stated.

“To fight.” North piped in.

“To defeat Pitch.” Bunny continued as Jack approached the group.

“To protect the children.” At Jack's words, the Guardians felt a bit better, though tension still hung heavily in the air. North glanced around at the curious and confused faces of the unintentional audience and realized they were waiting to be clued in. He moved through the crowd and stepped onto a podium.

“It brings me great sorrow to announce that our dear friend, Sanderson Mansnoozie, was killed in battle.” North stated in a clear and controlled voice.

The yetis and elves gasped in horror; so, it was true after all. A quiet murmur filled the air as they all wondered what would soon happen to them.

Now that Sandy was gone, the Nightmares would run rampant and the fear would spread. Their voices proceeded to become louder and louder as their questions were fueled with more panic. It was almost a roar now as the other Guardians and Jack stepped up to stand with North.

Toothiana was in hysterical tears and Jack had his hood up to hide his face.

“Enough!” Bunnymund shouted out. Immediately the room was quiet once more. “We need to have a proper ceremony for Sandy... It's only right.”

“Who's going to tell her?” Toothy asked through her sobs. Bunny and North looked over at Toothy before looking away.

Intrigued by what they were talking about, or more rather what they weren't talking about, Jack turned to face the Guardians. “What do you mean by 'her'? Who's 'her'?” Jack's question caused them to shuffle uncomfortably. North sighed sadly and finally met Jack's inquisitive gaze.

“Polaris... The North Star.” North started slowly as if it hurt him to say. “She is – was Sandy's best friend. They were inseparable; practically family...” He looked down to gather himself up before continuing, “I will go and tell her what has become of Sandy; Jack, you come too.”

North and Jack made their way back to the sleigh and somberly climbed in and took off.

Chapter Text

Polaris

Polaris' Palace was stunning. The outside was handcarved from perfect, shimmering crystals in the shape of a Star of David, it was framed by smaller crystals that sparkled in the night sky. The palace hovered high above the clouds appearing to be nothing more than the North Star from earth.

The inside, just as breathtaking, was a double-sided glass so you could see all around you, but no one could look in. An ethereal glow lit up the room and a large crystal globe floated delicately in the middle of the room. On the surface, small twinkling lights represented every believing child, though many had gone out.

Floating right above the globe, upside down, was a young girl not much older than Jack. She mumbled to herself as she carefully studied the lights.

The sleigh landed with a thwack that echoed around the chamber. Polaris whipped her head around to see North and Jack climbing out of the sleigh and heading towards her. A huge grin spread across her face as she floated over to them, landing on the ground. Her glowing platinum blonde hair trailed behind her, floating, as if under water.

“North! It’s so good to see you! It’s been ages.” Polaris rambled excitedly as she enveloped North in an almost painful bear hug. She flicked her golden gaze over to Jack, “Hello person I don’t know! I’m so glad you both came to visit me. I don’t get a lot of visitors, well except Sandy of course!” She giggled as she also pulled Jack into a tight hug.

Jack was taken aback as he was expecting someone quieter like Sandy. This girl was energetic and loud. He couldn’t fathom how they could’ve become such close friends.

“Who are you?” She asked.

“Jack Frost” He raised a bro at her behavior, but her focus drifted behind him.

“Reindeer!” She sped off to them and squealed as she cuddled each of them one by one. “They're so cute! I usually only see birds fly by.” She grabbed onto another reindeer's face and squished it close to hers.

“Hello Mr. Reindeer face, did you know that you are a cutie?”

Polaris deepened her voice pretending that the reindeer was talking back to her, “Yes Polaris, we did know.” She giggled as the reindeer snorted, shook its head and backed away from her.

“Why are you here anyway? You never told me. Is it a surprise? Is it my birthday? Are we having a surprise party?!” She gasped in pure excitement, “Oh wait... I don't even remember when my birthday even was... Oh! Are we going to Never Never Land? It's the second star to the right, straight on till morning. Haven't been there in a while!”

“Polaris, calm down.” North instructed solemnly. Seeing his serious expression, she floated down to the ground and conjured every bit of her focus to hear what he had to say. Her hair drifted down around her, swirling slowly in a non-existent current. North swallowed heavily.

“It's Sandy...” He started with a steady voice.

“Why, what about Sandy?”

“He... has been killed.”

Stunned silence filled the palace as she stared past them into nothingness. Her mouth moved to words she couldn't voice; anger overtook her.

“What... What are you talking about?” She shrilled. “Y-you're lying! You must be lying! I just saw Sandy a couple of days ago.” Polaris' voice continued to crack as she fell into hysterics.

Surely, they were telling a horrible lie, and Sandy would come waltzing through her palace door any moment now. They would talk, joke around, and she would mold his sand hair into various shapes like they always did.

Her voice slowly became less and less distinguishable as she fought with her tears racking her body. One look into North's and Jack's face and she knew that they were telling the truth. Consumed by grief she crumpled to the floor.

Burning candles lined the perimeter of Sandy's stone emblem; a somber ceremony now taking place at the North Pole to mark the passing of Sanderson Mansnoozie.

Toothiana placed down a flickering candle and then stood shoulder to shoulder with North, Bunny, and Polaris. She reached her tiny hand out to North, who took it in his own large one. Toothy proceeded to hold her other hand out for Bunnymund; the three held hands in silence.

North glanced over to Polaris to the right of him and gently placed his hand on her back in a comforting manner. Polaris barely even noticed the slight warmth though, as she was filled with coldness. Her golden orbs no longer held their usual brightness and tears streamed down her face.

Polaris jumped with surprise when a big warm hand enveloped her own small cold one. She trailed up to North's sympathetic eyes. He squeezed her hand gently to let her know that they were all there for her. A half-hearted smile flittered briefly across her face; she looked back down to the mosaic of Sandy with a shaky breath.

The solemn bells could be heard echoing throughout the chamber, the sound beautiful and melancholy.

The next morning North sat Polaris down and explained what had been going on with the lights and Pitch. He told her of how Manny had chosen Jack to be a Guardian and how he had refused. And how Sandy had been killed by Pitch. Soon enough Polaris understood exactly what had happened up to this point and agreed to help the Guardians in any way she could. North patted her shoulder lightly and then went to find Jack.

Polaris sat by herself, her knees up, staring blankly into space, thinking about what North had told her, but mostly about Sandy.

Toothiana was chatting quietly to Bunnymund, glancing at Polaris occasionally. Finally, she glided over to Polaris and sat next to her; saying nothing as she pulled Polaris into a comforting embrace.

Polaris stifled a sob and cried again into Toothiana's beautifully colorful and soft feathers. “I don't understand... How could he die? Aren't we supposed to be immortal?” Polaris asked through her sniffling, “Why? Why would Manny allow something like this to happen?” Her tear-filled eyes pleaded with Toothy.

Toothy didn't know how to answer that question and the hollow eyes of Polaris were unbearable, so she shifted her gaze over to the globe. A sharp intake of breath shook her as she noticed that the lights were rapidly going out. Toothy stood instantly and flew over to the globe; followed soon after by the other Guardians.

“Look how fast they're going out.” Toothiana whispered horrified.

“I've never seen this many lights go out all at once before.” Polaris uttered, “Not since the Dark Ages.”

“It's fear. He's tipped the balance.” Jack said.

“Hey, buck up ya sad sacks. Come on! We can still turn this around!” Bunny grinned, “Easter is tomorrow, and I need your help. I say we pull out all the stops and we get those little lights flickering again!” He gestured to the globe as he finished.

A massive wooden door swung open with an echoing thud. North led Jack and the Guardians through the doorway, into an elevator, and began to make their way through his factory.

“Bunny is right.” North started, “As much as it pains me to say, Old Friend, this time Easter is more important than Christmas!”

“Hey! Did everyone hear that?!” He shouted with excitement.

“We must hurry to the Warren. Everyone, to the sleigh!” North urged them on, but Bunnymund halted them.

“Oh no, mate. My Warren, my rules. Buckle up.” He grinned, sarcasm dripping from his words as he tapped his foot twice. A portal opened beneath them causing everyone, including an elf and a couple of yetis, to fall in.

“Shostakovich!” North yelped as he and the rest of the Guardians plummeted down into the tunnel.

Jack, Bunny and Toothy arrived gracefully in the warren's antechamber, while North, Polaris and the yetis came to a crashing halt. Polaris's hair flopped over her head covering her face momentarily. She hastily tossed it back over her head, spitting a few stray stands gracelessly out of her mouth.

“'Buckle up.' Is very funny.” North chuckled as he stood and brushed himself off.

“Welcome to the Warren--” Bunny stood straight before them, when suddenly, something caught his attention. He turned, his ears perked up and his nose sniffed the air, “Something's up.”

A faint scream began to echo from within the depths of one of Bunny's tunnels. Tiny eggs scuttled out from the underground passage. Bunny grabbed his boomerang, North drew his swords, Jack readied his staff, and Polaris pulled out her sling, loaded a shooting star and began twirling them with cyclonic force as the sounds of booming footsteps, screams, and the rustling of foliage grew louder.

Bunny yelled as he began to charge toward the tunnel. At his side were the Guardians, yetis, and sentinel eggs all bellowing their loudest battle cries until... Sophie dashed out from the tunnel with an armful of squirming eggs. All momentum stopped abruptly.

“Sophie?” Jack inquired. They all immediately withdrew their weapons, mildly embarrassed.

“Elf, elf, elf!” Sophie giggled and ran after the elf, dropping the eggs. The Guardians watched as Sophie chased the elf and eggs around. Polaris giggled to herself as she floated after Sophie; just as excited.

“What is SHE doing HERE!!?” Bunny demanded an answer. North looked down at his coat pocket – oops. His face reddened from embarrassment as he realized what must have happened.

“Ah, snow globe.” He shrugged sheepishly.

Bunny growled, “Crikey! Somebody do something!” Jack smirked at the pooka's dismay and Bunnymund, in turn, glared him down.

“Don't look at me, I'm invisible, remember?” Jack's grin grew. Sophie giggled as she dragged the elf by the bell atop its uniform.

Toothy flew forward, “Don't worry, Bunny. I bet she's a fairy fan.” She reassured as she floated in front of Sophie, “It's okay little one.”

“Pretty!” Sophie's awestruck face was adorable. The Guardians couldn't help but smile.

“Awww!” She cooed with delight. “You know what, I got something for you. Here it is.” She opened her hand to show the toddler, “Look at all the pretty teeth with little blood and gum on them.” Sophie's face dropped in horror as she looked from the teeth to Toothiana, then ran away screaming.

“Blood and gums? When was the last time you guys actually hung out with kids?” Jack couldn't help but laugh.

Meanwhile, Sophie was running around the Warren, exploring, and playing. Sophie poked her head into a small tunnel. “Peek-a-boo!” She giggled as the eggs scurried out to get away from her.

“We are very busy bringing joy to children! We don't have time...” North trailed off as he realized what he was saying, “...for children.” He finished embarrassed.

“If one little kid can ruin Easter, then...we're in worse shape than I thought.” Jack expressed as he lightly landed a twinkling snowflake on Bunny's nose. His concern disappeared as Jack's magic took effect.

Sophie and Bunnymund watched happily as a flower opened to reveal an egg. The egg stood up wobbly on its spindly little legs. “You wanna paint some eggs? Yeah?” Bunny asked leading Sophie to where the eggs would be painted. She agreed enthusiastically. “Come on then!” His joy plainly apparent.

Thousands of unpainted eggs streamed down the side of a massive moss-covered stone spire towards a green meadow. North and Jack stood amid it all, slack-jawed, as the eggs rushed towards them. Polaris floated after the little eggs fascinated, “They’re so cute!”

“Rimsky Korsakov! That's a lot of eggs.” North stated dumbfounded. Jack looked over the hordes of eggs and gulped.

“Uh, how much time do we have?” He muttered.

Bunny ignored their concerns as he was having too much fun. He leapt into a large green meadow with Sophie clinging to his back, smiling, as he led a huge mass of eggs down a wide path. When he passed, flowers bloomed on either side in his wake. The jostled flowers blasted the passing eggs with color as they went.

“Alright troops, it's time to push back. That means eggs everywhere!” Bunny was really getting into it now. North looked out over the eggs as they were sorted through the sorting stones. Polaris flew over to Sophie and placed her gently on top of the eggs before laying on them herself. They rode on their backs and were carried by the eggs through the stones. Sophie giggled when North waved at her.

“Heaps of you in every high-rise, farmhouse and trailer park!” Bunny continued. Baby Tooth flew across the meadow to a multicolored stream off in the distance, “In tennis shoes and cereal bowls!”

Baby Tooth joined an elf, who stood alongside an egg at the ledge of the multicolored stream. The elf pushed the egg in, celebrating with a victory dance. He turned just in time to see a stampede of colored eggs barreling toward him. He was knocked off the ledge and he and the eggs spilled into the multi-colored stream below.

“Oh, there will be bathtubs filled with my beautiful googies!” Bunnymund was exuberant now as eggs were being painted all around him. Hope and joy filled him to an almost exploding point. The others all felt the same hope and expectation.

Colored eggs waded through the water, emerging with secondary colors and intricate patterns of all kinds. An unlucky egg veered off and got stuck in a whirlpool. North fished it out of the water and looked at the egg curiously. It now had a spiral pattern on it and its little legs kicked madly trying to get away.

“Okay, that's a little strange.” North stated, weirded out. He shifted his gaze to Bunny who was surrounded by cute little eggs and butterflies.

“Naw, mate--” Bunny grinned, “That's adorable.”

North set the egg down and let it rejoin the herd just as the now technicolored elf climbed out of the stream. Polaris watched the elf with fascination. The colors he turned into from just the water got her thinking. An idea popped into her head when she noticed Bunny sitting in front of the colorful stream. She slowly tiptoed in midair towards Bunny and shushed North who was standing on the other side.

Sophie led a parade of eggs while Bunny jumped to an adjacent rock and sat up to address the eggs as they marched in stride. “There will be springtime on every continent and I'm bringing hope with me!” Bunny shouted out.

Once Polaris was directly behind her victim, she swiftly shoved Bunnymund into the water.

Bunny resurfaced, sputtering in shock. His eyes landed on Polaris, who was laughing hysterically; snorting loudly. He pulled himself out of the river and looked down, his whole body was multicolored with swirls and patterns; just like the eggs.

“Polaris! You really shouldn't have done that, mate.” Bunnymund threatened as he scooped some of the water out in his cupped hands and flung it towards her. Polaris, predicting his move, ducked down, causing Bunny to splash Jack in the face instead. Toothy gasped in surprise glancing between Jack, Bunny, Polaris and back again.

“Oh, you've done it now.” Jack grabbed a fistful of paint, a mischievous smirk plastered on his face. Both Bunny and Polaris sprinted away from the prank king.

North laughed heavily with his hands on his belly finding great joy in their shenanigans, Toothy tittered, and Sophie giggled as she stood by Santa and the Tooth Fairy out of the range of fire.

Polaris tripped on a rock in the tulip patch causing them to spray color all over her. Bunny saw the opportunity and took it; he grabbed Polaris, holding her in front of him, using her as a human shield.

Jack pelted her with globs of paint while he approached. Bunnymund, noticing that Jack was getting too close, forcefully shoved Polaris into him. She crashed into his chest and brought her face up to look into his eyes, her face now inches from his. Polaris flushed a soft pink; she could feel Jack’s hand resting on her waist from when he caught her. They both immediately hurried after Bunny, now working together to get him.

Jack frosted some paint making them into snowball shaped colors and tossed them to Polaris, she whipped out her sling and twirled it above her head, then flicked it with such velocity, that it smacked into the back of Bunnymund's head, knocking him over.

They proceeded to pummel Bunny with more and more paint, laughing at his pathetic attempt to escape. Polaris was taken aback by a boomerang flying just inches from her face before it zipped back from where it was thrown from. Bunny wasn't there anymore.

Jack and Polaris looked around trying their best to spot him. In the distance they heard a loud thumping noise; it grew louder and louder. Coming from behind them was Bunnymund riding on top of his sentinel eggs. He howled with crazed laughter as he threw his exploding eggs at them; color burst all around them, making a sort of smoke screen.

“Ok, ok, enough of the rough housing.” North announced walking in between Bunny, Polaris, and Jack. Polaris and Jack coughed after inhaling some of the dissipating dust. All three of them were covered head to toe in paint and they laughed hysterically at how they looked.

Suddenly Polaris and Jack were drenched with color water. Polaris pouted; her hair that normally floated around was now straight down and dripping from the water. The Guardians looked up to see Toothy flying above them with a, now empty, bucket. Bunnymund howled with laughter until he was knocked down by North throwing a paint ball, nailing him in the face.

“Ha! I win again!” North shouted out with glee. Bunny grumbled as he stood from the ground. Polaris, Jack, and Bunny proceeded to throw paint at North and Tooth; Toothy very easily dodged them and North used his scimitars to slice through them. Eventually they ran out of ammo, bringing the fight to a halt. Though disappointed by the sudden end to their fun, they needed to get back on track since paint was everywhere and the eggs still needed to be finished.

“That was fun!” Polaris exclaimed tiredly. The Guardians all agreed, cleaned themselves up, and went to work painting the remainder of the eggs. Colors of blue, yellow, and pink coated the small Easter eggs; swirls and patterns decorated them. There were millions of them, all of which were beautiful.

Bunny hopped past a yeti painting a mound of eggs red and noted the color with disdain, “Too Christmas-y, mate, paint `em blue.” The Yeti threw his arms up in defeat and tossed the egg. Bunnymund wandered back over to Sophie.

“Oh, what's over there?” Bunny asked, motioning to a beautifully decorated egg that was hiding in the grass. Sophie immediately spotted the egg and delicately lifted it out of its hiding place. She held it close to admire the intricate detail of its shell. Sophie brought the egg to Bunny for him to inspect.

“That's a beauty!” Bunny took Sophie by the hand and led her through a stone archway. “Now all we gotta do is get him and his little mates through the tunnels, to the top, and we'll have ourselves Easter.” He sighed, looking out proudly at the eggs gathering in front of the tunnels in the distance.

Jack approached them from behind and sat alongside Bunny, who held a worn-out Sophie in his arms.

“Not bad.” Jack pointed out. Sophie yawned and began to fall asleep.

“Not bad yourself.” Bunnymund smiled genuinely.

“Look, I'm sorry about that whole, you know, the 'kangaroo' thing.” Jack muttered ashamed.

“It's the accent, isn't it?” Bunny chuckled. North came up from behind with Toothy and Polaris at his side. They turned toward Bunny, marveling at the sight of Sophie, fast sleep. It was touching. Bunny's face softened, as if remembering a distant memory, “Ah, poor little ankle-biter. Look at her, all tuckered out.”

“I love her!” Toothy said quietly, afraid to wake her up. The mood was light and calming as the Guardians basked in each other's company.

“I think it's time to get her home.” Toothy stated as she bent down to pick her up. Bunny handed the sleeping toddler over to her waiting arms.

“How about I take her home?” Jack suggested. They looked over to him surprised.

“Jack, no!” Toothy began to oppose, “Pitch is--”

“--no match for this.” Jack finished, cutting her off. He twirled his staff as if to prove his point. He had defeated Pitch once already; he was sure he could do it again.

“Which is why we need you here, with us.” Bunnymund protested. The Guardians looked at Jack with concern. Polaris placed her hand on Jack's shoulder.

“Please Jack,” She approached, “We need your help.” A slight blush crossed Polaris' face as she realized that she still had her hand on him; she withdrew it immediately.

“Trust me, I'll be quick as a bunny.” Jack flashed a confident smile at them. The Guardians finally agreed, as there was still some work to be done before they could deliver the eggs anyway and then Jack was gone.

“You never told me how absolutely gorgeous this place is, Bunny!” Toothianna squealed twirling around.

“Never had the words.” He sighed contentedly, “Look at it! It's where it all begins, and just when you think it's over, it starts over again. I tell you, what's more beautiful than this?”

Bunny gestured to all around them and then continued, “And what brings more joy... than an Easter Egg?” By the time Bunny finished his sentiment, Polaris and North had joined the two of them overlooking the vast expanse of land.

“A Christmas gift?” North stated aloud. Bunny looked over his shoulder to glare at North.

“Or maybe a wish come true?” Polaris put in with a giggle earning a glare as well. Toothy tittered at their antics.

Bunny ignored them and looked around concerned. “Still no Frost.”

“He will come” North assured them all. The pooka eyed North with worry, then back to the eggs they helped paint.

“Easter can't wait.”

Jack had been gone for a while now and the Guardians were starting to worry. What if something had happened to him, but before they could worry for much longer, black sand slowly seeped through the earth all around them.

Polaris' eyes widened with fear. All of the Guardians readied their weapons and looked around trying to spot Pitch, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The Nightmares took form and snorted aggressively. They were everywhere and were closing in on them rapidly. The Guardians were horribly outnumbered and were already really weak from Sandy's death which had caused most of the lights to go out.

Polaris understood immediately that she would have to fight most of them off herself. She had never truly been believed in before, so the vanishing lights hadn't affected her. She was terrified though. What if another of her friends died? There is no way she could handle it. What if she died? The thought paralyzed her.

Her lips trembled as she took a subconscious step backwards. She bumped into North's belly and looked up at him. North smiled down at her reassuringly and that was all it took to get her out of her frozen state of mind. She breathed out her fear; she was ready.

The Nightmares stared them down, stood on their hind legs, and whinnied fiercely; then they charged.

Chapter Text

Easter

Polaris flipped a shooting star up in the air before snatching it back up, fitting it into her sling and firing it into a couple of Nightmares reducing them to lifeless sand.

North charged into the onslaught of mares, slicing several of them with his scimitars. A boomerang whirled passed his head and curved into the heated throng, destroying another cluster of mares with Tooth right behind, blasting into each Nightmare in her path.

A few eggs attempted to escape the Nightmares before being smashed beneath black hooves. Bunny felt his stomach drop before fury rushed through him. He quickly caught his returning boomerangs, his fists tightened with rage.

"They're after the eggs!" Bunny shouted before kicking a mare in the face and slashing a second with a boomerang.

"Protect the baskets!" North instructed the Guardians as black sand poured around him after destroying three more Nightmares.

A small, bright light zipped through a herd of mares, making them dissipate on impact. Polaris pumped her fist in triumph as she readied another shooting star from her perch on a high ledge.

A Nightmare spotted her position and rushed her. In a panic Polaris whipped her arm in front of her, smashing the mare with the still loaded sling. Brushing black sand from her face, Polaris released her star, blasting it through the group North was fighting.

Toothiana found herself stranded in the center of a cluster of mares, closing in on her quickly. She steadied herself, waiting for the right moment. Once the Nightmares were close enough, she spun turbulently in the air, beating the creatures with her wings and emerging unscathed.

Bunny's sentinel eggs crashed through a large group of Nightmares; their fierce expressions turned to the front.

A sudden burst of bright colored smoke surprised North. He turned around to see black sand filter down behind him.

"Watch your back, Mate!" Bunny called as he hopped speedily to Toothy's aid. He hurled his boomerangs at a nearby cluster. No sooner had he done so, something grabbed his tail from behind, knocking the pooka on his face. He was tossed into the air by an angry Nightmare and was kicked hard in the ribs, knocking him into the stream once more. Bunny climbed onto the bank spitting out multi-colored water. "Bail 'em up against the ledges, North!”

North looked over towards Bunnymund in confusion, “What?!”

"The ledge!" Bunny repeated. "Corner them!"

"Right." North affirmed. "Tooth, Polaris!"

"We're on it!" Tooth replied flitting passed North, spooking a group of mares.

Polaris snapped a few stars near their hooves, causing them to back up in alarm.

North rushed forward slashing the mares as Bunny's boomerangs whirled through the back of the group, eliminating the mares just as quickly as North.

"Bunny!" Polaris shrieked. She had just spotted more mares returning from within the tunnels, chasing eggs and smashing the ones they caught up to.

Bunny turned and cursed angrily before retrieving his boomerangs and rushing to where Polaris and Tooth stood in between the eggs and mares, fighting off the herd.

"They're destroying everything!" Polaris shouted before punching a mare in the face, reducing it to powder.

"Not on my holiday they don't!" Bunny replied, catching his boomerangs, and smashing them against two more mares.

North came running up to join his friends. His breathing was heavy and sweat glistened on his brow.

"These Nightmares just don't let up." He breathed.

Tooth dodged an attack and slashed through the dark creature.

"There's so many of them." Tooth responded. "It's almost like they..." Tooth's voice trailed off as a snort from behind her caught her attention. She glanced over her shoulder and her face immediately fell. "Oh no."

The Guardians stopped and turned to see what Toothiana was looking at. A large herd of Nightmares were closing in on the four Guardians.

"What? How is this possible?" Bunny stammered. "We destroyed them!"

As if on cue, a pile of midnight colored sand regenerated into an incredibly angry Nightmare and joined the herd.

"No way!" Polaris groaned. Her sweet, air-headed personality was repressed by frustration and exhaustion.

"They regenerate?!" Bunny scowled. "You have got to be kidding me!"

Polaris summoned up what courage she could and led the charge. She swung her sling speedily above

her head obliterating the mares as she went.

Bunny hopped through in a mad fury, smashing the dark creatures with his boomerangs, fists and whatever else he could get his paws on in his rage.

North skillfully hacked his way to the middle of the horde leaving a path for Toothiana to follow. Once in position she spun wildly rendering the Nightmares into black sand once more.

“Where is Jack?” Polaris shouted anxiously as she released several shooting stars in succession. “He should have been back way before now.”

Bunny snorted angrily in response.

“I’m sure he’ll be here any moment.” North responded, breathing heavily from the fierce battle. He glanced around towards the tunnels hoping to see a burst of ice or a snowball, sadness reflected in his crystal blue eyes.

“North! Look out!”

North whipped his head in the direction of Bunny’s voice only for a pair of strong black hooves to connect with his stomach, knocking him backwards into a sentinel egg.

“North!” Polaris and Tooth shouted in unison. Tooth kicked a mare in the face, eliminating it, before rushing to her comrade's side.

“North are you ok?” Tooth questioned worriedly.

“I’m fine.” He replied, rising to his feet. “Is made of jelly.” North patted his belly with a weary smile before giving Tooth a small wink.

Suddenly the mares reared their heads in the same direction as if they heard something. Polaris glanced around anxiously hoping Jack had finally returned to help them. She saw nothing.

Then, as quickly as they had come, the mares rushed into the tunnels and disappeared leaving behind a few lifeless piles of black sand and revealing a wake of broken eggs and colorful baskets smashed beyond repair.

“Konstantinovich…” North muttered under his breath surveying the damage.

Bunny looked lost as he glanced around taking in the scene before him. A small, warm hand on his shoulder startled him.

“Bunny?” Polaris whispered, bringing him out of his state of shock.

“Look for any remaining eggs.” North instructed. Polaris nodded curtly.

The flowers the Guardians used to help paint the eggs were trampled into the dirt. The once lush grass was ripped up in tufts, exposing the dirt underneath. Eggs and baskets lay discarded as far as the eye could see. Even in the beautiful color river shards of eggs, grass, and flowers littered its now murky water.

The Guardians dragged their legs as they searched. All that arduous work and hours they had spent painting thousands of eggs was for nothing. Bunnymund could hardly breathe as he sat listlessly atop an overlooking hill. He scooped up some broken pieces of eggs and held them close to himself, willing the eggs to mold back together, it did nothing.

Polaris looked over to each of the Guardians in turn and each had the same heartbroken feeling that she had. They knew they were searching for something that wasn't there. Their spirits were crushed and hollow as they moved broken pieces.

Toothy zipped through the tunnels but could only see broken eggs. Her throat choked at her as she remembered how she had felt when the teeth and Babyteeth were stolen from her. She understood exactly how Bunny must have been feeling. Tooth continued to shift through the eggs a few pieces cutting her delicate fingers.

North stepped over the eggs carefully and began to search through the colorful baskets along with his yetis and elf. Frustration ate away at him as he rubbed his temples to try to clear his mind. North was in pain from being hit in the stomach, but he didn't want to worry anyone, so tried his best to ignore it.

No one talked as they shifted through the destruction. The silence was deafening in Polaris' ears as she searched under ledges and in plants. The bottom of her dress was stained with colors and dusted with black sand. Her body ached from the battle; she hadn't had to fight like that in a long time and she was exhausted.

Out of the corner of her eye, Polaris saw some movement. She crept closer and peered under a ledge she had thought she had already checked. Under it were three cracked eggs huddled underneath and shaking with fear. Polaris reached out her hands and carefully scooped them up and held them close to her chest to keep them from falling. She floated over to Bunny and softly kneeled in front of him.

When their eyes met, she could feel her heart drop down to her stomach. His eyes were filled with so much pain and disbelief that it shattered the remains of her heart. Polaris swallowed heavily and turned Bunny's paw to place the few eggs into his palm. She cracked a small smile at him, and he returned the gesture.

Toothy soon came fluttering over with five eggs of her own and gently laid them down on the ground next to Bunny's side. She sighed as she sat with them. This was hard on all of them, and they knew how serious this was. A heavy weight sat on each of the Guardians shoulders.

Then North joined them with his yetis and elf. He held a basket, that although it was crushed, would still be able to hold the eggs. The elf handed over the egg he had been holding and watched as it was added to the basket. It was a pathetic lot of eggs, but there wasn't much else. The sight stung Bunny's eyes as he struggled to keep his emotions at bay.

“Maybe some made it to the surface?” Toothy suggested hopefully. They all knew it was a very slim chance, but perhaps during the chaos, some did manage to escape. Once everything had been gathered, they made their way to the surface to see what damage Pitch had done.

Bunny peaked through the bushes to take in the scene. The trees and the grass were a lush green color and beautiful flowers framed the wide-open space. A big banner declared “Easter Egg Hunt”, but there seemed to be no excitement as the few remaining children found no eggs. They searched high and low, but none of the eggs made it to the surface.

“There are no eggs. There's none anywhere.” Whined a small girl as she swung her basket back and forth.

“I give up. Come on, let's go.” An older girl said as she grabbed the younger girl's hand and stormed off, the younger girl barely able to keep up.

“I don't understand.” sighed another young boy disappointedly. Bunny checked the eggs in his basket, then looked back toward the kids. Wondering what he should do.

“Maybe he just hid them really well this year.” Muttered the girl who was sitting on a picnic table. Bunny, egg basket in hand, approached the group of kids who seemed to be wandering around searching halfheartedly, disappointed, and listless.

“I checked everywhere. There's nothing.” The boy argued.

“Yes, there is! There is! I mean these aren't my best lookin' googies, but they'll do in a pinch!” Bunnymund reassured frantically. He held out a cracked Easter egg to them, but they just stared past him.

“I can't believe it.” The girl began as she hopped off the table.

“I know.” Bunny scratched the back of his neck feeling embarrassed. He looked down at his poor excuse of eggs that sat in the deformed basket and frowned.

“There's no such thing as the Easter Bunny.” The girl turned to leave with her brother. Those words hit Bunny like a brick wall.

“What?” He muttered out before he even realized what he was saying. “No! Wrong! Not, not true! I'm right in front of ya, mate!” He pleaded desperately for them to see him; for them to believe again.

“Easter's over. Forget this.” The brother muttered angrily, “There's no such thing.”

The Guardians watched as the spark of childhood was extinguished in all of them; they were too late.

“I know.” The girl sighed and hung her head. The kids walked through Bunnymund as if he were a ghost. Bunny was stunned by this, and finally the realization settled in. He was no longer believed in.

“Now come on.” The brother urged.

“I don't understand. Why wouldn't he come?” His sister whined softly.

“Let's get out of here.”

“Easter Bunny, where are you?” She called out softly, tears in her eyes.

“This is the worst Easter ever.” The boy growled as they walked off.

“They don't see me... They don't see me...” Bunny crumpled to the ground holding his basket tightly to himself.

Jack watched as this all unfolded in front of him, and it was heartbreaking, because he knew it was his fault. Toothy and Polaris both flew to Bunny's side to try to comfort him. Jack heard a rustle in the bushes behind him, North stood there breathing heavily.

“Jack, where were you?” Jack noticed that North had his scimitars drawn and seemed to have just come from battle. He was exhausted, wild-eyed, and distraught. “The Nightmares attacked the tunnels. They smashed every egg, crushed every basket. Nothing made it to the surface.” He explained angrily.

“Jack!” Tooth and Polaris rejoined the group. “Where did you get that?” Toothy gasped horrified.

“I was...it's...” He stuttered out as he looked down at the tooth box in his hand, then back to Tooth. How could he explain what had happened?

“Where's Baby Tooth?” she asked, feeling betrayed. “Oh Jack, what have you done?” Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't even stand to look at Jack now.

“That is why you weren't here?” North stepped forward to confront Jack. “You were with Pitch?” Polaris was about to step in, but North blocked her path by extending his arm with the sword still grasped tightly. She sighed and backed off.

“No, listen, listen...I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen.” Jack pleaded. He worked so hard to earn all their trust, and now it was falling apart.

“He has to go.” Jack turned to see Bunny, disheartened, and shaking with anger.

“What?” Jack was stunned by what he had just heard.

“We should never have trusted you!” Bunnymund exploded. Polaris was appalled by what Bunny was saying but knew that there was nothing she could do to stop him. He continued forlorn, “Easter is new beginnings, new life. Easter is about hope... And now it's gone.” Bunny turned away and moved toward the park then looked at the sign that read, `Easter Egg Hunt.'

Jack felt as if someone punched him in the stomach hard. He looked back to Toothy, North, and Polaris, the first two looked away, hurt by Jack. Polaris, however, was pained by the situation and peered sympathetically at Jack.

This is exactly what Pitch said would happen. Jack reached into his pocket, pulled out the tiny Russian nesting doll that North had given him, dropped the doll to the ground, and took off.

“Jack! Wait!” Polaris called after him, but it was too late; he was gone. Her heart hurt for him. Where would he go? When would he come back? She felt angry towards Bunny for making Jack leave but was also hurt by Jacks betrayal. Polaris hung her head and cried. First Sandy, then Easter, now Jack too, how were they going to win this battle?

Chapter Text

The Last Light

The Guardians made their way back to the sleigh somberly. North rubbed his temples in frustration. Bunny sat by the side of the sleigh and leaned on it. He looked down at the basket of eggs and said nothing. Polaris and Toothy sat in the sleigh unsure of what else to do. Everything was going wrong it seemed.

Polaris leaned over the side to look at Bunny and frowned. She knew she needed to talk to Bunny about what happened, but the words seemed to choke her instead. Polaris' lips trembled with anxiety as she formed the words with odd choking noises, but finally she spat them out.

“Bunny... Don't you think you took it a bit too far?” Polaris inquired carefully, so as not to raise his anger. Her face flushed when the question sounded more like a squeak. Nothing. “Bunny! We need Jack's help.” she stated, surprised when her voice came out more aggressive than she had intended. As quick as a flash, Bunny was in her face.

“With what?! All he ever did was cause us trouble! He is an irresponsible, reckless child and he betrayed us!” He growled. “Now Easter is ruined, and we will never be believed in again.” He chucked his basket of eggs against a tree making the few eggs and basket break apart, “This is all his fault!”

Polaris was shocked by Bunny's behavior, but she wasn't going to back down, “He also saved us multiple times and helped us even though he didn't have to! This isn't his fight, Bunny, and we all know that. This is Pitch's doing, not Jack's! You are too set on being angry at him to realize how much we actually need him. You need to stop being so-so hostile!”

“Hostile? Why are you defending a mongrel like him?! He is a worthless excuse of a Guardian. He has always ruined my Easters and he managed to ruin it again. I mean, what was Manny thinking when he chose Jack, of all sprites, to be a Guardian!” Bunnymunds voice was exploding with anger. Polaris flinched back a bit from the sheer volume and power of it.

“You're being unreasonable! Stop being such an unbelievable jerk and listen to-”

“I will not listen!!” Bunny roared, “There is nothing that Jack has done that hasn't caused me trouble. I hate him and will not stand here while he destroys everything that I hold dear. He caused this war, he lost me my Easter, and he got Sandy killed!”

“Enough!” Polaris shouted, “You're the one acting like a child, do you even hear yourself?! Sandy would be so disappointed to hear us fighting like this. We need to find Jack and work together.”

“Us?! Since when has there ever been an us? You're not one of us, mate. You may be Sandy's best friend but that doesn't make you a member of this team! We are better off without Jack, and we would be better off without you! You're just as much of a useless twit as he is! And if you haven't noticed, Sandy is dead, Polaris, and he is never coming back!!” Bunny bellowed.

“Bunny!” Toothiana and North gasped, taken aback.

Tears flowed from Polaris' eyes as Bunny's harsh words hit her. Bunnymund was horrified by what had escaped his mouth. It was too late to take it back, the words had already been said. The hurt and shock etched onto Polaris' face crushed his very soul.

“Polaris... I-I...” She turned away from him and sat once more. Toothy glared Bunny down before huffing and trying to comfort Polaris. North shook his head at Bunnymund's gaze and gave him a disapproving frown.

After a long, awkward silence, North cleared his throat, “We should head back to the Pole so we can figure out our next plan of action.” As they rode through the sky, the silence deafened the air around them.

The quiet was so painful that Polaris, to distract herself, looked up to the stars. She was horrified to see that they were so still. They no longer twinkled to communicate the children's wishes to her. She was cut off from her only solace; Polaris sniffled back a sob. She then reached into her pouch attached to her belt and pulled out a couple of her crystal shooting stars. The stars were hot to the touch as she traced the intricate shapes that they were made up of.

“They're beautiful...” Polaris snapped her head up at the sudden sound and saw Bunnymund looking at her with sad eyes and a small smile on his face. She grimaced in acknowledgement then continued to stare at the crystal rocks.

Bunny cleared his throat and tried again, “Polaris...” She sighed and met his gaze once more.

“About what I said earlier, I didn't mean it... It's just... losing Easter... It made me so angry, and I took it out on you and for that, I-I apologize.” Bunny looked away uncomfortable. The words felt unnatural coming from his muzzle.

He fixed his eyes down on his lap, unable to meet her eyes, for he feared what he would see there; a small warm hand on his own rather large paw made him look up. Seeing her sympathetic expression, although still sad, lifted his mood a bit and a lopsided smile broke the tension on his face.

“Why are we going down?” Toothiana asked, bringing everyone's attention to their descent. North tightened his grip on the reigns and tried his best to level off the sleigh safely, but to no avail.

“There's not enough belief in us to allow the sleigh to fly.” North explained gruffly. The sleigh crashed to the ground, the impact threw Polaris into Bunnymund, Toothy toppled over the side, but managed to grab onto the railing, and North smacked his head into the dashboard, blurring his vision with dark spots.

“Ugh! Oh, my nose! Is it bleeding?” Bunnymund whined holding his throbbing muzzle in his paws. Polaris rubbed the back of her head from the collision with Bunny's face and assured him that his nose was fine. Tooth pulled herself clumsily back in and collapsed to the floor. North blinked the black spots from his vision then checked over the other Guardians and his sleigh to make sure everything was in order.

“He couldn't drive a nail into a bucket of water.” Bunny grumbled under his breath glaring at the back of North's head.

“North, what are we going to do?” Tooth inquired. They gathered around the globe attached to the front of the sleigh and watched with growing terror as the last few lights flickered out. Six precious children who still believed in the Guardians with all their hearts. One of the lights flickered out. Five... Four... Three... Two... One light remained. Polaris, like the rest, waited with batted breath for it to go dark, but it stayed strong.

“Who is this?” Polaris asked. North touched the light softly which made it grow as large as the globe itself. An image began to form in the center of the golden light, as the picture cleared up, they could see a young boy sitting on his bed, holding an old stuffed rabbit toy. The boy looked to be grimly fighting his creeping disbelief all alone.

“It's Jamie!” Toothy shouted, “We need to find him before Pitch does.” North and Polaris nodded in agreement.

“Uh guys? Where did Bunny go?” Polaris wondered aloud.

“I'm down here.” A small voice diverted their attention from around them to below. There was a small rabbit sitting inside of the sleigh. Before anyone could react, a high-pitched squeal escaped Polaris' lips as she squished the fluffy rabbit in a hug.

“You're so cute! So fluffy too.” She gushed swaying back and forth with him in her arms. Bunny pushed his tiny paws against her chest and tried to escape to no avail. “I never knew that you could be so adorable. I just want to hug you forever and ever!! Why can't you be this size all the time?” Polaris proceeded to kiss him on the head multiple times. Bunny's face reddened with embarrassment and annoyance.

North boomed with laughter while Toothiana tittered despite their dire predicament. North used his scimitars to steady himself as he suddenly felt weak from the lack of magic. He grabbed the reigns and with a swift crack of them, they haphazardly hit chimneys and shingles as they lifted into the sky barely staying up.

“Blimey, let go of me! I am not cute!!” Bunny protested, “Stop kissing me. I am not some sort of house pet, I'm a Guardian!” He grumbled, still fighting to get away. Finally, he managed to hop free from Polaris' grasp and landed on the railing.

“Look at this fluffy tail.” Toothy pitched in with a giggle. Polaris grabbed his ears, one in each hand, and moved them around in fascination. Bunny used his tiny paws to remove her hands.

“And the floppy ears.” Polaris cooed wide eyed. She scratched under his chin, a smile forming on Bunny's face, his foot happily thumping.

“Oh yeah, that's the spot.” Once Bunny realized what he was doing, he quickly shooed Polaris' hands away and scowled. Tooth and North laughed harder at his reaction.

“There is nothing cute or funny about me being this size. I can't use any of my weapons now, I'm practically useless...” He griped. The truth of his words stopped their laughter abruptly.

Polaris observed the group, Tooth wasn't able to fly anymore and was still molting, North depended heavily on his swords to support his weight, Bunnymund was too small to do any real damage, and Jack was still missing. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks, making her feel sick; she would have to face Pitch all alone. Her eyes widened and fear ebbed at her subconscious; she trembled, hands shook, and her face paled.

North glanced back at her and placed his hand on her shoulder, comforting her just like he had when Sandy died. Although a welcome gesture of support, it didn't make her feel any better. Polaris swallowed the lump in her throat, but it still suffocated her.

Thunder roared and lightning flashed in the sky. Soon after, the sleigh crash landed in the street in front of the Bennett household. The reindeer kicked and snorted with panic, breaking free from the reins, and running off into the woods. A disheveled Tooth, North, and Polaris emerge from the wreckage still in the sleigh.

“Ah, moi deti! Come back!” North called after his reindeer, as he stood, his back gave out.

“North! Are you okay?” Toothy asked, worried, as she pulled North back to his feet. He looked at the fairy drowsily.

“Is official. My powers are kaput.” He muttered. Polaris grabbed North's other arm to help Toothy get him out of the sleigh.

“Look!” Toothiana gasped, “Jack!” She called out, seeing him flying towards the group. She immediately dropped North and tried to fly towards Jack. Toothy faltered and fell to the ground in front of the winter sprite. Polaris, now having the full weight of North alone, collapsed to the ground with him.

“You okay?” Jack inquired as he helped Tooth to her feet. They greeted each other with a warm smile as she shyly patted down her feathers on her head. Polaris helped North walk steadily towards the two of them before cautiously letting go of his arm.

“Jack.” Polaris chirped happy to see that he was back. She hugged him tight for a moment longer than needed and flushed when he returned the gesture.

“What are you doing here?” North questioned Jack.

“Same as you.” He stated as he looked off to the side where Jamie was approaching them from.

“The last light!” North grinned excited to have made it in time.

“Wow! It is you! I mean, it is you! I knew it wasn't a dream.” Jamie enthused as he looked at each of the Guardians, even Polaris. “Who are you though?” he asked innocently. Polaris looked behind her to see if he was talking to someone else, but no one was there. She pointed to herself in disbelief. Jamie nodded his head.

“You can actually see me?” She clarified and again Jamie nodded his head. Polaris looked over at Jack in amazement, Jack was puzzled by her bewilderment. He didn't know that there were others like himself that were left unseen by the world.

“I'm Polaris... The North Star! I grant wishes.” Polaris chirped as she twirled her and Jamie around in excitement. Jamie giggled and once released from her bear hug, stood by Jack again and looked up at him and smiled.

“Jack! He sees you!” North said happily. Jack placed a protective hand on Jamie's shoulder and smiled at him.

“Wait, but where's Bunny?” Jack asked concerned.

“Losing Easter took its toll on all of us. Bunny most of all.” Jack's face went pale, thinking that something truly bad had happened. Then a twitchy-nosed little bunny appeared on the sleigh.

“Oh...no...” Was all that Jack muttered at the sight.

“That's the Easter Bunny?” Jamie chuckled amused and sat by Bunny.

“Now somebody sees me! I mean, where were you about an hour ago, mate?” Bunny scowled at the young boy.

“What happened to him? He used to be huge and cool! And now he's cute.” Jamie gently tickled Bunny under his chin, causing Bunny to involuntarily thump his paw again. Polaris stifled a chuckle at him being adorable again.

“Oh, that's good.” Bunny leaned into the petting before catching himself and pushing Jamie's hands away. “Did you tell him to say that?” He grumbled at Jack and hopped over to him, kicking him with his back legs. “That's it! Let's go! Me and you! Come on!”

“No! Actually, he told me you were real. Just when I started to think that maybe you weren't.” Jamie admitted embarrassed that the Guardians now knew of his faltering belief in them. Bunny stopped, shocked at what Jack had done for him, for all of them.

“He made you believe? In me?”

The moment of reconciliation between them was broken by the thunder. The Guardians looked up to the sky to see Pitch enveloped by dark clouds as he stared down at them from atop a writhing mass of Nightmare sand.

“Get Jamie out of here.” Jack urged the Guardians.

“I can help, Jack.” Polaris interjected quickly and stood by his side. He looked over at her briefly with concern then nodded his head.

“Be careful, you two!” North called over his shoulder as they hurried away. Jack and Polaris leapt into the air and flew directly to Pitch. Pitch's eyes flashed with anger.

“Jack Frost! Let's end this, shall we?” Pitch sighed, rolled his eyes, and flew down to meet Jack and Polaris head on.

Jack sent a blast of ice and frost at Pitch as he barreled toward him. Pitch easily absorbed the attack with his Nightmare sand. Polaris froze with fear, after all, this was Pitch Black, the very man who murdered Sandy. Her hands shook over the latch of her bag, begging to grab a Shooting Star to smash into Pitch's cold stare, but she could do nothing. Tears choked her throat and fell down her cheeks.

“That little trick doesn't work on me anymore.” Pitch sneered. Jack's plan backfired as Pitch charged ahead and unleashed a roaring fury of Nightmare sand that knocked Jack and Polaris out of the sky. Jack pulled Polaris to himself to protect her as they crash landed onto a dumpster and toppled limp to the ground.

“Jack! Polaris!” Jamie shouted, concerned about his new friends. The Guardians and Jamie rushed to help them to their feet.

“That was good try, Jack! 'A' for effort!” North patted him on the back, then smiled gently at Polaris. Polaris hung her head ashamed that she didn't help at all.

“He's stronger. I can't beat him.” Groaned Jack in pain from the fall. He took ahold of Polaris' arm to see if she was ok. She eyed him briefly, smiled softly, then hid her face from his inquisitive gaze. North and Tooth traded looks of concern.

A menacing chuckle startled them back to the situation. The Guardians kept a watchful eye as Nightmare shadows streaked across the alley. Fear was thick in the air.

“All this fuss over one little boy. And still, he refuses to stop believing.” Pitch's voice echoed all around them. A crack of thunder revealed the shadow of an approaching Nightmare, the sounds of hooves clacking against the ground echoed from the opposite end of the alley.

“Very well. There are other ways to snuff out a light.” He finished. Bulbs started bursting as the arm of a shadow moved across the remaining lights in the alley. There was terror in Jamie's eyes.

“If you want him, you're gonna have to go through me!” Bunny retorted confidently but wavered when the shadow arm glided along the floor and curled around Bunny.

“Look how fluffy you are! Would you like a scratch behind the ears?” Pitch genuinely laughed at what had become of the so-called Guardians. The pooka jumped back into North's arms hastily.

“Don't you even think about it!” Bunny tried to look fierce, but only appeared as he was, scared. Pitch finally came into view, riding on top of Onyx. A gleeful smile strewn across his face.

“I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you all like this. You look awful.” Pitch was ecstatic; he was about to win. They were weak and defenseless, but still the Guardians gathered around Jamie, to shield him from whatever may come. Polaris was just as fearful as Jamie; she grasped Jack's hand and held it tight; finding comfort when he squeezed her hand lightly.

“Jack, I'm scared.” Jamie gulped. He looked up into Jacks eyes with the fear that consumed him. Jack realized he had heard those words before. The memory of his sister on the ice came to him.

“We're gonna have a little fun, instead.” Jack muttered, “That's it. That's my center.” he declared as he grabbed Jamie's shoulders from excitement. Jamie was confused by this.

“So, what do you think, Jamie? Do you believe in the Boogiema...” Pitch was cut off abruptly when a snowball hit him in the face. Two of his Nightmares looked at each other, unsure of how to react. The tension now broken, Jamie and Polaris couldn't help but snicker and North let out a chuckle. Jack looked around the alley and noticed a wooden crate, trash can lid and a discarded wok amidst a pile of trash.

“Now let's go get your friends.” Jack smirked. Pitch wiped the snow from his face and looked up to see a track of ice leading out of the alleyway. Jack, Jamie, and the Guardians were gone.

The streets of Burgess were empty, and the city was quiet. A man walked his dog across an empty street when a frigid wind blew behind him. Jack and Jamie came flying past, leaving a trail of ice in their wake and on that ice, the Guardians careened along in make-shift sleds. They were scared and thrilled, but they were having fun. Polaris hugged Bunnymund to her as they shared the small wok and she laughed happily.

“Yeah! Come on!” Jack shouted behind him, joy plainly on his face. The child within him glowing brightly.

A terrified Cupcake lay in her bed awake. The Guardians' reflections streaked across the window when a snowball hit the pane of glass. She pulled the covers down to find that it was snowing inside. As the snow circled around Cupcake's head, she sat up and smiled.

Pippa sat in bed amazed as it snowed in her room. She heard a knock at her window and moved towards it to find Jamie floating outside. She threw open her window and looked down to the ground that was two stories down then back at him.

“Jamie, how are you doing that?!” Pippa asked, both amazed and scared that he was going to fall.

“Jack Frost! Come on, we need your help!” He stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Jamie took off flying down the street, and as a snowflake landed on Pippa's nose, she could suddenly see Jack.

“Hey is, is that?” She was still bewildered at the sight.

“Jack Frost!” Monty answered. Pippa looked up to see Monty across the street with his head out the window and snow coming down in his room, a gaping smile across his face.

Caleb and Claude sat up in bed in amazement, staring at the snowflakes as they streamed down from the ceiling. The twins looked down to find neatly wrapped gifts at the feet of their beds as a jolly voice bellowed in the distance.

“Merry Christmas!” North yelled out to them. The twins opened their window, amazed to see their hero's sledding past.

“Happy Easter!” Bunny said next.

“May all your wishes come true!” Polaris waved enthusiastically at them as they passed.

“Don't forget to floss!” Toothy added. Caleb looked at his brother, dumbfounded.

“Cupcake?” Claude raised an eyebrow as she skidded past laughing and screaming on her own sled.

“Jamie, you were right!” Pippa beamed.

“The Easter Bunny's real!” Caleb exclaimed happily.

“And the Tooth Fairy!” Pippa continued just as excited and happy.

“And Santa!” shouted Claude.

“And the North Star!” Jamie added. His friends gasped as they could now see Polaris as well.

“They're all real!” Monty finished.

Jack, the Guardians, and the children all came to a gliding halt on their sleds. They looked up to see Pitch standing atop a building with a confident smile, while the clouds stirred behind him.

“Whoa, yeah!!!” Monty, late to the party, came running joyously past Jamie and the Guardians who stood in silence as they stared up at the sky. As soon as he noticed Pitch, he quickly ran to the back of his friends screaming.

“You think a few children can help you? Against this!” Pitch sneered as he gestured to the Nightmare sandstorm descending from the sky. North drew his sword, but the weight of the blade pulled him down; he could barely stand. Polaris' eyes were once again wide with fear. Her body trembled though she tried to be brave. Jack moved to North's side as they looked back towards Jamie, noticing the concern on his face.

“They're just bad dreams, Jamie.” Jack tried to reassure him.

“And we'll protect you, mate.” Bunnymund encouraged.

“Aww, you'll protect them.” Pitch chuckled, “But who will protect you?” Jamie took a moment to reflect on those words while his friends looked up at the sky in fear. Jack looked down, surprised, to see that Jamie had taken a position in front of him.

“I will.” Jamie stated firmly. Gradually, Jamie's friends moved to join him.

“I will.” Cupcake took her spot in the front with Jamie.

“I will.” Caleb and Claude affirmed.

“And me.” Pippa joined in.

“I'll try.” Monty stuttered reluctantly. The Guardians were amazed to watch as the kids squeezed past them.

“Still think there's no such thing as the Boogeyman?” Pitch's wave of Nightmare sand snaked its way through town causing destruction wherever it went and converged toward a single point as it headed straight toward the kids.

“I do believe in you. I'm just not afraid of you.” Jamie thrusted out his hand toward the Nightmare wave. His friends followed suit, just as the Nightmare sand smashed into them. As it made contact, the black sand burst into streams of Golden Dreamsand.

“Whoa...whoa!” The kids squealed in surprise. Everyone was amazed, hardly believing their eyes. Streams of Dreamsand swirled around the children. And then it was chaos; the Nightmares bucked and jumped as the sand made its way past them. Polaris wept at the sight of the golden sand; Sandy's sand. It was just as beautiful as she had remembered and although she was weeping, seeing the sand brought her out of her fear and filled her with strength.

Pitch watched, aghast, as his precious Nightmares transformed back into golden Dreamsand and made its way across town.

Tooth was amazed as her wings fluttered with a resurgence of strength and energy. She took off and flew past the kids who cheered her on.

“Yeah, Tooth Fairy! Whoa!” Cupcake encouraged.

North's eyes widened; he straightened his back and unsheathed his scimitars.

“Whoa, yeah!” Monty grinned, no longer frightened at all.

“No! Get them!” Pitch signaled and sent another wave of Nightmares to the Guardians, “Do your jobs!” All his hard work was falling apart, and he would have none of that.

“Oh yeah, come on, come on!” Bunny looked at himself waiting to be transformed back into his regular size, but he was pursued by a snarling Nightmare. “Oh, crikey!” He shouted before taking off running.

North threw two snow globes down to the ground, through which an army of yetis and elves emerged.

“No way!” Caleb and Claude stared in awe.

Bunny tried to scurry under a parked car to evade the attacking Nightmare, but it snatched him by the tail before he could get away. Luckily, he had transformed back to his normal size and whipped out his boomerangs before being pulled out from under the car and being held upside down.

“G'day, mate!” Bunnymund chuckled confidently then kicked the Nightmare, flipped into the air, and threw his boomerangs which sliced through two more Nightmares, turning them to dust. Bunny tapped his foot three times on the ground and an army of sentinel eggs rose out of the earth. Caleb found himself riding on top of one as they joined the yetis and elves in battle.

“Whoa!” Caleb shouted out of surprise.

Polaris destroyed several Nightmares with her Shooting Stars and cheered when she noticed Bunny back to his rightful size, though admittedly, she was a bit disappointed.

Elves' rode toy ducks and planes flew in overhead like bombardiers, turning Nightmares into puffs of black sand as they flew through them. The kids looked to see a Nightmare charging toward them, only to stop in its tracks once the kids turned to face it.

“Let's get `em!” Cupcake urged her friends. The kids, accompanied by two elves, screamed a battle cry as they charged the Nightmare. The elf lunged toward it, biting at its haunches. The kids placed their hands on the Nightmare, turning it to Dreamsand.

Pitch looked down with a smile at the chaos in the streets below. He heard a loud noise behind him and turned around to see Jack on the roof. Jack instantly sent a streak of frost toward Pitch's Nightmares, disabling a few of them. Pitch charged and responded with an attack of his own. Jack jumped to an adjacent roof and let out another blast of ice.

“All yours, mate.” Bunny announced as he tapped his foot on the ground and created a rabbit hole for North and himself to travel through.

Pitch let a Nightmare arrow fly, which was deflected by Polaris as she flew past the area and took out a few Nightmares of her own, bashing their heads together with an annoyed snort.

“Thanks, Polaris!” Jack called after her. Bunny came flying out of a nearby chimney, drawing his boomerang as he landed.

“Ho, ho, HO!” He yelled out as he threw his boomerang. The Nightmares surrounding Pitch exploded into dust as the boomerang tore through them.

“Hyah!” North shouted as he shot out of a bunny hole, his scimitars at the ready, only to have landed on a roof some distance from the Guardians, “Wrong roof.”

Pitch tried to escape the attacking Guardians and slipped into a nearby shadow, emerging through the side of the building. Onyx lept Pitch and himself across the way to the other building. North jumped off the roof to greet him mid-air with his scimitars. Pitch was knocked to the ground. As he got to his feet, he formed a scythe with his Nightmare sand and began crossing swords with North. In an instant Pitch found himself surrounded by the Guardians. Each of them took their turn to deal Pitch a few humiliating blows; even Polaris got a few hits in.

Jamie looked over Caleb's shoulder as a wisp of Dreamsand left his palms and rose into the air.

“Look at that!” Caleb said with wonder.

“I've got it.” Jamie announced proudly. His friends looked at him in confusion. “I know what we have to do! Guys, come on!” Jamie led his friends as they followed the streams of Dreamsand down the street toward the growing mass of golden sand.

A/N: If anyone knows what Jamie and his friends do, I would love to know. It isn't very clear in the movie. Like, they run up to where Sandy is being formed, but they don't do anything.

Chapter Text

The Deal

“It's over Pitch! There's no place to hide.” Jack shouted. A wry smile stretched across Pitch's face as he descended into the shadows, casting multiple versions of himself along the alley walls. In the Guardians moment of distraction, Pitch rose up behind Jack, his Nightmare sand axe in hand.

“Jack, look out!” Polaris shrieked in horror, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene. Time seemed to drag on as Pitch swung back and gathered momentum as the sharp weapon inched towards Jack. Jack turned as if submerged in water, his eyes growing wide with fear. Toothy gasped shrilly and covered her mouth terrified. Bunny and North could do nothing as the axe gleamed menacingly.

Suddenly a golden whip wrapped itself around Pitch's hands; it was Sandy coalescing from the funnel cloud of Dreamsand. He gave Pitch a condescending look and wagged his finger as if Pitch was a naughty child, and then uppercut him into the air.

“Whoa! The Sandman!” The kids exclaimed gleefully. Sandy looked off to the side where Jamie and his friends had gathered. He formed a Dreamsand hat and tipped the cap to excited children.

Sandy looked back to his whip and then tugged on it, slamming Pitch into the ground and knocking him out. The Guardians cheered as they welcomed Sandy's return.

“Welcome back, old friend!” North chuckled exuberantly and patted him on the back.

“Sandy.” Jack murmured stunned.

“Oh, Sandy. You're alright!” Toothy teared up.

“Sandy, come here!” Bunnymund encouraged and gave him a hug.

“Yeah!” Jack cheered and jumped up from excitement.

“Mate, you are a sight for sore eyes!” Bunny smirked.

Everyone quieted down and parted as Polaris approached from the back of the group. Her mouth was dry, and a baseball seemed to have lodged itself once more in her throat. Tears pricked at her eyes, begging to fall.

“S-Sandy?” She choked out in a whisper. Polaris cleared her throat and tried again, “Sandy?” A simple nod was all the confirmation that she received and all she needed. Polaris knocked Sandy over with a bear hug and cried into his shoulder. Her body shook as ragged breaths overtook her. Sandy petted her hair to sooth her. Eventually Polaris calmed down, much to the relief of everyone around her, and released Sandy from her death grip.

Sandy floated into the air and shot streams of golden Dreamsand in every direction. The Guardians were awed to feel power surging through them again. Polaris looked up at the sky and choked on her tears from happiness when she saw that the stars were once again twinkeling. Children believed in them again and it was an amazing feeling, but they still had a job to do and Nightmares to take care of.

A Nightmare came barreling towards Cupcake, snorting. It screeched to a halt, inches from the girl's face when she hadn't run away. She gently tapped the creature on the nose and turned it into a Dreamsand Unicorn.

“Whoa...” Cupcake squealed delighted. A gigantic Dreamsand dinosaur foot came down revealing a Dreamsand brontosaurus. Stingrays, airplanes, and even dolphins shone brightly as they filled the sky and streets, casting a golden glow. Children that were sleeping smiled blissfully as their nightmares turned to beautiful dreams of hope and happiness. The sand creations amazed Jamie and his friends as they too felt no more fear.

“Yeah!” Monty shouted and jumped up and down.

Jamie admired a school of beautiful Dreamsand fish as they floated by. Out of nowhere, he was hit in the head with a snowball. He turned to look at his attacker and saw Jack, smiling. Jamie picked up a snowball and threw it at his friends and instantaneously, a snowball fight ensued.

The kids laughed even though they were freezing from the winter night.

“Oh yeah? Bring it on!” Claude urged hitting Monty with a snowball, causing him to fall over. Monty took off his glasses to clear the snow off then placed them back on and tried his best to hit Claude back but missed miserably.

Sandy saluted Jack and North, who were standing off to the side chatting while the snowball fight escalated. Cupcake gathered some of the snow into a ball shape and barely missed Pippa when she threw it. Pippa packed the snow and tossed it at Caleb, which landed on top of his head. Sophie giggled and hopped into the middle of the snow battle; she grabbed some snow and tossed it into the air, most of it landing on her head.

Babytooth heaved a snowball over to an elf and dropped it on its head. The elf tried to hit her with his own snowball, but it only landed a few feet in front of himself. Jamie nailed Monty with a few snowballs making it difficult for him to build any more. Cupcake and Caleb, now teamed up, quickly pushed a huge pile of snow together and created a fort, then proceeded to pummel anyone outside of their protective barrier.

Polaris laughed and dove into the snow to dodge the icy projectiles. Snow stuck to her hair and eyelashes. She gazed around at everyone having fun and couldn't help but roll around in the snow. Her eyes soon fell on Sandy, she swiftly threw a snowball at the back of his head which stopped short from his Dreamsand whip. Polaris pouted but was quickly pummeled with several snowballs in retaliation. Polaris squealed and ran at Sandy and when she was close enough, she leapt into the air and pulled him into the snow.

North was hit by a snowball and turned to see Claude, Caleb, and an elf; the kids immediately pointed at the elf. North burst out in laughter and gathered up some snow.

“You're all on naughty list.” North joked. “Bunny, think fast!” He threw the snowball, which hit Bunny smack in the face and knocked him down. Everyone was now enjoying themselves in this impromptu snowball fight.

Pitch groaned in pain, his legs shaking as he rose up to see the town crawling with Dreamsand creatures, snowballs flying and yetis playing. He whipped around to see the kids having the time of their lives and no fear in their eyes. The sight stunned him.

“No...” Pitch murmured to himself, his entire body shaking with rage. He screamed, “You dare have fun in my presence! I am the Boogeyman! And you will fear me!” Pitch lunged at Jamie who came running toward him, Pitch's hands outstretched as if he was going to grab him by the throat. But Jamie ran right through him, laughing joyously.

“No!” Pitch gasped, realizing that he no longer had any power over the children. His face was white as a sheet and his throat was scratchy and dry. “No.” He muttered under his breath.

The Guardians began to approach him, standing side by side with one another. Pitch turned and bolted into the shadowy forest; fear devouring him. Branches scratched at his face and hands and snagged his cloak. Finally Pitch came crashing through the trees and out onto the icy lake. When he looked over his shoulder to see if the Guardians were on his tail, he ran right into North's chest, causing Pitch to slip on the ice and fall landing hard. He peered fearfully up to see North smiling down at him with confidence.

“Leaving the party so soon?” North inquired, sarcasm dripping from his words.

“You didn't even say goodbye.” Tooth agreed and tossed something small to Pitch. He looked down at his open palm.

“A quarter?” he asked bewildered. A fist punched him directly in the jaw, and a single tooth went skittering across the ice. Pitch held his throbbing jaw and stared in disbelief while Toothy shook out her hand from the pain.

“And that's for my fairies.” She stated with conviction.

“You can't get rid of me! Not forever! There will always be fear!” Pitch scowled, hysteria rising in his voice. He clumsily pulled himself from off the icy surface to a standing position and took a slippery step backwards.

“So what? As long as one child believes, we will be here to fight fear!” North laughed.

“Really? Then what are they doing here?” He sneered, laughing a bit. Hundreds of Nightmares emerged from the woods, surrounding the lake. The Guardians were unfazed.

“They can't be my Nightmares, I'm not afraid.” North shrugged. The Guardians all agreed that none of them were frightened. Even Polaris, though still uneasy, was no longer afraid.

“Looks like it's your fear they smell.” Jack smirked. Pitch's eyes grew large as horror seeped into him. He began to back away, but the Nightmares picked up speed and charged him.

“Ahhh, no... AAAAAHHHHHH!!” He tried to run, but it was impossible to get his footing on the ice. He faltered and was swept up in the stampede of Nightmares. The streaks of black whipped and latched themselves onto Pitch as the black cloud carried him through the forest. Polaris cringed at the high-pitched screaming and shuddered at the terror in his eyes. She closed her eyes to try to shut it out, but it was there too. The screams echoed distantly before vanishing.

Jack smiled as he looked up at the moon. Pale and faint in the day, but oddly close and welcoming it almost seemed that the moon was smiling back at him. He heard Toothy's laugh and turned to find North, Tooth, Bunny, Polaris and Sandy, their faces shone with pride. Tooth came flying in to give Jack a hug. She lifted him off the ground as they embraced. Polaris then pulled Jack into a hug as well and twirled them around, her hair softly following afterwards, and could feel her heartbeat quicken, she soon recoiled with giddy embarrassment.

“Are you ready now, Jack?” North implored as he stepped forward, “To make it official.”

Jack looked over, a stern-looking elf hit a horn in his hand menacingly, as if daring him to stop the process again. A yeti handed North a large, red book while Sandy and Bunny shared a boastful look.

“Then is time you take Oath.” He continued proudly. North opened the book, flipped through several pages, and took a moment before he spoke. “'Will you, Jack Frost...vow to watch over the children of the world?'” Jamie and his friends along with a crowd of yetis, elves, and sentinel eggs all made their way across the pond to the rest of the group.

“'To guard them with your life- their hopes, their wishes, and their dreams? For they are all that we have, all that we are and all that we will ever be.'” Jack took a second to look back at Jamie, then back to North.

“I will.”

“Then congratulations, Jack Frost-for you are now and forevermore...a Guardian.” Jamie and the kids erupted in a cheer, as did the Yetis and eggs.

“Congratulations Jack!” Polaris cheered.

“Klasno!” North picked up Jack, gave him a hug, and kissed him on both cheeks. Jack winced, then looked up to North with a smile.

“That's my boy! Woo!” Bunnymund shouted with joy. Polaris eyed Bunny curiously, after all, Bunny had treated Jack like dirt.

Imitating North, an elf picked up the elf standing next to him and gave him a big kiss. After an awkward pause, the affectionate elf was punched in the face by the receiver of his mimicry. Jack looked to see several fairies hovering nearby, forming the shape of a heart. One of the swooning fairies fainted and fell to the ground.

“Keep it together, girls.” Toothy giggled embarrassed.

“You guys, look!” Caleb exclaimed in surprise.

“That's Santa's sleigh.” Monty pointed out; excitement plastered on his young face. The group looked up to the sky as North's sleigh came in for a landing.

“Wow, it's real.” Pippa spoke with admiration.

“That is wicked!” Shouted Claude.

“Everyone loves the sleigh.” Bunnymund said wryly to North. North acknowledged Bunny's words with a smirk then turned away and placed his hand on Jack's shoulder.

“Time to go.” North stated. As the kids looked on in wonder, Sandy threw up his hands creating a shower of Dreamsand, which drifted down on the children. It sparkled and shimmered as it mixed with the drifting snowflakes; the sight was mesmerizing. Bunnymund crouched down and handed a small intricately decorated Easter egg to Sophie. She giggled and patted the brim of his nose.

“Happy Easter ya little anklebiter. I'm gonna miss yah.” Bunny smiled genuinely at the little toddler.

“Bye, bye, bunny.” Sophie gently murmured in her sleepy voice.

“Goodbye! Keep on wishing.” Polaris shouted, already sitting in the sleigh bouncing a bit from excitement, waving her hands wildly. The kids waved back at her until her words sunk in.

“You're leaving? But what if Pitch comes back?” Jamie asked Jack, fear creeping into his voice. Jack looked back at the young boy. “What if we stop believing again? If I can't see you--” His voice cut off a bit shrilly. Jack kneeled to look Jamie in the eyes.

“Hey, hey, slow down, slow down. You telling me you stop believing in the moon when the sun comes up?” Jack inquired carefully.

Jamie considered his words before responding, “No.”

“Okay, well do you stop believing in the sun when clouds block it out?”

“No.” Jamie laughed a bit.

“We'll always be there, Jamie. And now...we'll always be here.” Jack continued, pointing at Jamie's heart, “Which kind of makes you a Guardian too.” Jamie smiled. Jack stood up and headed toward the sleigh. Jamie's friends stood off to the side rubbing their eyes as they became drowsy.

“Jack!” Jamie ran over and wrapped his arms around him. Astonishment pulsed through Jack, revealing itself on his face and then he bent down and gave Jamie a warm embrace back. Jack stood once more and stepped on to the runners of the sleigh with the rest of the Guardians sitting inside.

“Hyah!” North shouted as he snapped the reins. Jack and the Guardians watched the kids as the sleigh took off. Jamie ran behind, following Jack; he didn't want to let go. The sleigh took off into the sky. Jamie stopped, unable to follow. The kids waved their goodbyes and began to leave with the Yetis and eggs.

North took a snow globe from his pocket, pictured the North Pole, and shook the globe gently before casting it into the sky in front of them. They flew through the portal which closed soon after.

A low guttural growl sounded from the shadows of the brush surrounding the lake. A small figure sneered at what she had seen. The girl stood from her spot once there was no one around, flipped up her cloaks hood and stormed off in the opposite direction, followed closely behind by a massive creature formed from the shadows itself. Her blood red eyes were focused intensely on what was in front of her and where she had to go.

When she finally arrived, she waded through the dense forest as if it were nothing; her short brown hair occasionally getting caught. The trees were so tall and tightly compacted that even though it was morning, it appeared to be pitch black.

The girl looked up at the hundred-foot-tall, impenetrable hedge that stood in front of her with sharp spear-like spikes at the top and pushed her hands into the bush. She parted her hands making the entire plant rip apart leaving her enough space to walk through. As she continued, she couldn't help but giggle at how easy it was for her to go through these defenses.

The area was thick with smog that swirled around her feet and cloak as she pushed onward. Figures loomed all around her but did not move as they were statues with faces contorted with fear and pain. The air was thick with silence, not even the sound of crickets could be heard.

Suddenly a bear, the size of a house, was in her face, snorting and growling fiercely. The black bear rose onto its hind legs and lifted its enormous paw to strike, the girl merely flicked her wrist, throwing the animal into a group of statues. The force broke the stone figures to pieces and knocked the air out of the bear. He shook off the pain and rushed her, only to be thrown into more statues. The bear struggled to get up once more but collapsed under its own weight. The young girl stepped over the large animal and gazed at the statues as she passed, their horrified and agony struck faces gave her pleasure.

A soft melodious voice grew from the still silence as the Spirit of the Forest floated closer. Her shimmering veils, laced with tiny gemstones, shifted, and floated around her, as if moving to a breeze that only she could feel. The Spirit beckoned her closer holding all sorts of riches that even the humblest of men would be tempted to take. Her beguiling smile was enchanting.

The small girl knew better though; people who had tried to take the treasure were turned to stone instead and left there to ward off any unwelcome would-be-thieves. She calmly opened her ornate, worn box that she had been carrying and darkness quickly consumed the once beautiful siren. The spirit collapsed to the ground as shrieks of torment ripped from her throat; she clutched at her head and trembled from the pure evil consuming her mind. The young, red-eyed girl laughed blissfully at the pathetic spirit and continued.

A colossal tree stood in the center of a large clearing. Santoff Claussen was home to many who were pure of heart and wanted to learn magic, though they were nowhere to be seen.

The girl approached Big Root and walked into the hollow tree, once inside, she and her shadow creature walked up the steps and opened a door to a room. Papers of every sort were pinned on the walls and strewn about on tables. Calculations and strange languages were on several of the parchments. Unfinished inventions lined the walls, some broken, some with moving parts and blinking lights.

“Pandora, what brings you here?” An old man stood facing a desk, studying the papers and books on top of it and chatting quietly to some caterpillars. He turned slowly to meet her eyes after shooing his company away. He had an exceptionally long white beard that almost reached the floor; his mustache curled up at the ends. He wore a cloak and a tall hat that curved around to the front of his face. He picked up his staff that was leaning against the table and looked at Pandora calmly.

“I need you to- do something for me.” She replied darkly. Ombric gazed at her quizzically and waited for her to continue. When she didn't, he asked her the question that he knew he would regret.

“What is it?” An impossibly large and unnatural smile crept onto her face.

“Your time machine, Ombric, have you finished it? Or should I say Father Time?” Dread filled him.

“Why would someone as powerful as you even need it? What makes you think I would be willing to help you?” Her face darkened with such intensity that Ombric briefly wondered if she would burst into flames. The wizard stood there calmly waiting for her to explode.

“Well, I do have one advantage that should convince you.” Pandora hissed through clenched teeth. The shadow creature reached into himself and pulled out a young girl in a tight grip. She was terrified and her face was stained from tears.

“Katherine!!” Ombric shouted with fear for her safety. He knew he only had one choice if he wanted his adopted daughter to be unharmed. He sighed defeated, “What did you want to use it for?”

“That's more like it.” Her predator smile returning to her face.

They stood in front of a clock more than thirty feet high. It was made up of dozens of interlocking rings that spun and rotated inside of one another; these were used to set the clock to the exact time and place in history to which one wanted to journey. Unlike the Lama's time clock, Ombric had adjusted his so you could stay within that time instead of being thrown back into the current time and place.

“I will only say this once, so listen carefully,” Ombric began, “Only you and I will remember anything about what had happened before. You will have three days to do as you wish, but once Easter has ended at midnight, that will be the end. Which brings me to payment.” Pandora glared him down and stomped her tiny foot.

“Payment? I have your precious Katherine's life in my grasp, and you want me to pay?! I refuse!” Her voice echoed around the cavernous room. Pandora fumed angrily at the very idea.

“Yes, payment. You didn't expect to get something for nothing did you? It's called equivalent exchange. The machine will not work without getting something in return.”

“What would you even want, I have nothing.” Pandora scowled. Then realization hit her like a ton of bricks. “Absolutely not! There must be something else I can give you. I could give you your child back!”

“That's not how it works, it must be something equally precious to you. Katherine will be returned to me before you travel through time, otherwise I will make sure that you fail.” Ombric demanded and sighed at her childish behavior. He watched calmly as her tantrum grew violent; kicking things, throwing important papers and documents around the room, and finally dropping to the ground and screaming loudly causing the windows to rattle, but not to break. Pandora pounded her fists and kicked her legs into the ground causing anything nearby to rip or break apart spontaneously.

When the girl finally calmed down, Ombric held out his wrinkly hand for the item. Pandora smacked his hand away and scowled again looking away from him. Rage filled her every fiber as she contemplated her options. Her shoulders slumped when she came to her senses; she stood and forced herself to place the box into Ombric's hands.

“Now then, you have until Easter is over, but if you don't complete your task before then, this box will be thrown into the furnace and destroyed along with any magic it holds.” Ombric stated as he placed the box on a shelf. Pandora's eyes widened.

“That's not part of the deal! It isn't fair!!”

“It has always been part of the deal. Everyone before you have known the risks and the rules. If you refuse these rules, then I cannot help you.” Pandora growled angrily and shook his hand to finalize the deal. Soon enough she would have her box back anyway.

“Fine, but I will succeed, and I will have my box back. Wraith, give him the girl.” Ombric took the exhausted girl from the shadow and laid her down on a couch off to the side.

The wizard approached the front of the time machine and brought his hands up towards the clock. The gears slowed to a stop and then raced backwards; seconds, minutes, hours, and then days passed. The gears stopped abruptly three days before Easter midday.

Ombric turned to face Pandora as the door at the base of the clock opened; a bright white light shining through. An inhuman laugh escaped Pandora's throat as she stepped through the door and vanished with Wraith following closely behind.

AN: So, you have finally been introduced to my other character Pandora. The movie part of my fanfiction has come to an end, and I am excited to read what you think about the craziness that will be coming. Also, Ombric is from The Guardians of Childhood book series, I highly recommend reading them.

Chapter Text

Into the Shadows

“AAAAHHHHHHHH!” Jamie closed his eyes as the ramp launched him over the street, high into the air, and toward the statue of Thaddeus Burgess, colonial settler. Jamie's friends stood in awe, mouths wide open, as he sailed through the air. When Jamie opened his eyes the look of fear on his face suddenly turned to joy. Jack looked on smiling as the young boy landed safely in a large mound of snow.

“Oh my gosh!” Pippa shouted with concern. Jamie's friends all came running to his aide, scared for his well-being, but Jamie got up with a smile on his face.

“Yeah!” Jack pumped his fist in the air out of excitement and hopped atop the statue.

“Wow, that looks serious!” Claude winced.

“Jamie!” Monty squeaked out.

“Jamie, are you alright?” Pippa asked gently.

“Is he okay?” Cupcake asked.

“Whoa! Did you guys see that? It was amazing! I slid - I did a jump and I slid under a car- ERF!!” Jamie's excitement was cut off abruptly by a sofa that fell off a moving van, knocking him down.

“Whoops.” Jack chuckled.

“Ooooh!” The kids all cringed from the painful looking impact. There was a moment of silence as the kids waited to see if Jamie was okay. Then, Jamie rose from behind the sofa grinning, a new gap in his smile. He held up the tooth like a trophy.

“Cool! A tooth!” He beamed.

“Dude, that means cash!” Caleb exclaimed.

“Tooth Fairy cash!” Claude playfully shoved Caleb aside and Caleb shoved him back.

“That's totally awesome. I love the Tooth Fairy!” Cupcake exclaimed. The others laughed at Cupcake's intensity.

“Oh, no...” Jack muttered, frustrated by the change in subject.

“You lucky bug!” Sighed Pippa wistfully.

“Lucky! I wish I lost my tooth.” Monty whined with a pout.

Jack could hardly believe what he was hearing. “No!” He shouted angrily.

“I gotta put this under my pillow!” Jamie announced to his friends as he showed them the tooth.

“Ah, wait a minute! Come on, hold on, hold on! What about all that fun we just had? That wasn't the Tooth Fairy, that was me!” Jack pleaded with them, but they couldn't hear him. They didn't even acknowledge that he was there.

“I lost two teeth in one day once - remember that?!” Caleb asked his brother. Claude nodded with excitement.

“What are you gonna spend your money on?” Implored Monty.

“What are you gonna buy?” Claude asked impatiently.

“How much do you think she's going to leave?” Pippa questioned them with a raised brow. Storm clouds overhead rumbled and darkened. Flurries of snow began to intensify as Jack' s frustration grew.

“Let's go...I'm cold!” Monty began, “My ears are freezing. I can't feel my toes.”

“Ah, it's hot cocoa time.” Pippa smiled dreamily imagining the sweet chocolaty taste with mini marshmallows. Jack jumped down from the statue and tried to engage the kids, but it was too late, the kids took off. Jack blocked Jamie's way as the boy came running at him.

“What's a guy gotta do to get a little attention around here!” He growled out, but Jamie only ran through him as if he were a ghost. Jack was left momentarily shaken.

“'Oh, I'm cold, I'm cold, I'm co-old.'” Cupcake mocked Monty as they continued.

“Somebody take a picture.” Claude joined in and poked Monty in the ribs, laughing. Caleb pretended to take pictures with an invisible camera, even making clicking sounds like a camera. They all laughed.

“Hey, stop!” Monty grumbled.

Jack was alone again; his temper subsided. As he was about to leave, a small girl across the street caught his attention. Her cloak enveloped her tiny frame and shrouded her face. What surprised him the most was that she was looking right at him. An intense glare from blood red eyes shone from under the shadow of the hood and an unsettling smile contorted her youthful face.

The girl's piercing eyes never left his, as he stared back in bafflement. Jack made to move towards her, but at that moment an oversized truck drove past, blocking his view. The girl was gone. He shook off the unsettling feeling that he had and whipped up a little wind and disappeared as well.

Jamie, back in his room, played with a shiny red toy robot. Drawings and charts of mysterious creatures covered the wall behind him: UFO's, aliens, Bigfoot, you name it. There was even a drawing of Jamie flying in midair on his sled.

“...I did this jump, and it was amazing, and I slid under a car, and it was awesome! Then I was flying down this hill, and I was like whoosh, whoosh, whoosh through all these cars, and then the sled hit this, this thing, and I was like way up in the air.” Jamie animatedly exclaimed. He mimed flying with his robot, then crashed to the bed as Sophie and their dog sat listening.

“-- and then BAM! The sofa hit me, and, and see?” Jamie opened his mouth to show her, he tried to say, 'my tooth came out!' but it came out, “Ah hoo hay ow!” Sophie laughed and tried to stick a finger in the gap in his gums.

“Alright you, tooth under your pillow?” Jamie's Mom asked as she walked into the room.

Jamie sat the toy robot on his nightstand and flicked on the nightlight on the robot just as the bedroom light was turned off, then grabbed a stuffed rabbit next to his pillow to reveal a camera and flashlight.

“Yeah. I'm ready.” Jamie stated as he turned his flashlight on to make sure the batteries were still good.

“Now don't stay up trying to see her, Jamie, or she won't come.” His mom reminded him.

“But I can do it this time! You wanna help me, Soph? We can hide and see the Tooth Fairy!”

“Hide, hide, hide, hide!” Sophie chanted excitedly as she jumped around on the bed. Jamie's Mom picked Sophie up off the bed and lifted her over her shoulder before dipping her down causing Sophie to squeal and laugh. Their dog got up and began licking Jamie's face.

“Uh uh, straight to bed now, mister.”

“Mom...” Jamie whined.

Jack Frost was outside hanging upside down watching them through the window. A pang shot through his heart from the loneliness he felt. He wished that he could be part of the Bennett's life. For a moment, he imagined talking with Jamie about Bigfoot and aliens, tickling Sophie and making her giggle, being tucked into bed and getting a goodnight kiss from Mrs. Bennett. Jack wanted a family; he wanted to belong somewhere. He was sick and tired of being alone. It hurt too much.

The glass frosted over and brought him out of his reverie. Jack flipped onto the roof, a little pensive as he made his way toward the roof's peak and looked up at the moon, in full view. It lit up the night sky.

“If there's something I'm doing wrong, can you, can you just tell me what it is?” Jack begged then waited for an answer with batted breath. “Because I've tried everything, and no one ever sees me.” He sighed when he once again didn't receive an answer.

“You put me here, the least you can do is tell me, tell me why.” The Moon shone silently down. Jack turned away in frustration.

He leaped off the roof, onto a telephone pole, and began walking across the telephone wires freezing them as he went. A stream of Dreamsand zipped by him, then another, which swooped around in front of him. Jack turned and looked up, a smile now on his lips.

“Right on time, Sandman.” The Dreamsand descended from the sky and drifted into the windows around town. Jack ran along the telephone wire until he could reach out and intercept one of the passing streams. The sand was shaped like a dolphin which turned toward Jack before going to a waiting child.

Jack continued to walk along the telephone wire as the Dreamsand disappeared from the sky. Suddenly a shadowy figure and an unfamiliar noise zipped by behind him.

“Whoa!” Jack shouted out startled. He leaped over a house to an adjacent tree to investigate and again, something zoomed behind him. He jumped down from the tree and onto a truck in a nearby alley. The shadow flashed by, knocking over a trash can. Jack jumped down from the truck and backed up out of the alleyway into a clearing.

“Hello, Jack Frost.” A voice came from behind him, Jack swiftly turned around, his weapon at the ready, only to see Pitch Black. Jack looked at the man in front of him with confusion.

“Pitch? What do you want?” he asked unsure. Pitch eyed the winter sprite with intrigue.

“I have a proposition for you.” Pitch strolled around Jack with a calmness about him that was off putting. An amused smile played at his lips.

“What do you mean?”

“I've heard an awful lot about you, Jack.” Pitch admitted. “You're a reckless fool and you would do just about anything to be seen- to be believed in. Blizzards, snowball fights, sledding through town and I'm just skimming the surface.”

“What's your point?” Jack growled, becoming defensive. He tightened his grip on his weapon expecting to have to defend himself.

“I can help you get what you want most. I can help you be believed in.” Pitch continued hardly noticing Jack's aggression.

“Why would you help me. What's in it for you?” The winter sprite muttered as he hesitantly lowered his staff to hear what Pitch had to offer.

“I understand what it's like to be invisible... To long for-- a family. We can help each other. I know that you've been searching for answers ever since you awoke in that frozen lake. I'm offering you answers, Jack.”

“How do you know about that?” Jack felt exposed but couldn't help the growing interest. With each word, he was increasingly confused. How was it that there had been others like him that struggled just as he did. Jack ran a hand through his silvery hair and breathed out heavily, trying to piece it all together just made his head hurt.

“I know a lot of things, I even know who you used to be, before you became Jack Frost.” Pitch trailed off and watched as Jack's face contorted with disbelief and confusion.

“What do you mean? I was nobody before...” Everything that Pitch was saying swirled around Jack's mind like a thick haze as he stumbled through it.

“Of course you were, we all were someone before we were cursed to become like this. I understand that you are confused but help me and you will get what you want most.”

“You'll help me get my memories back?” Jack muttered out as if he were finally beginning to understand what was being said to him. His pulse thudded in his chest and his hands became clammy. He looked down thinking everything that he had heard over in his mind. Thoughts were racing. Could he just trust Pitch? After all he was the Boogeyman, but maybe he was not as bad the rumors had made him out to be. He was offering him what he had craved more than anything; answers, a family.

Jack locked eyes with Pitch and saw himself mirrored in his deep black eyes. Pitch was vulnerable, lonely and was hated by everyone, just like Jack was. The winter sprite swallowed his hesitation down and smirked.

“What do I need to do?” He finally replied. Jack was ready to know who he was and to have children believe in him. He was ready to know everything. Pitch approached Jack and placed a pale, slender hand on his shoulder and like that they disappeared into the shadows.

Just then Bunnymund stepped out from around the corner and scoffed angrily. The yetis that had come with Bunny to retrieve Jack were shaken by what they had just witnessed. They were too late. Jack was now with Pitch and there was nothing they could do about it.

“Durtal bardla burdlew.” One of the yetis said as he whipped out a snow globe and smashed it on the ground opening a beautiful glowing portal.

“Dwbard urghwetee.” The yetis made way for Bunny to leap in, but he demurred.

“Me?” He chuckled before tapping his foot twice on the ground which magically swirled open a rabbit hole, “Not on your nelly. See you back at the pole.”

Bunny leaped into it and disappeared along with the rabbit hole. In its place, from out of the ground grew a small pink daisy.

“Bwardla arghl.” The yetis shrugged their shoulders, charged, and disappeared into the portal.

“Tangiers! Incivie du haut, 421 rue de Barat! Allez!” Toothy was surrounded by a dozen hovering tiny fairies who came and went as she blurted out orders, “Walla Walla, Washington. We've got a trampoline mishap at 1340 Ginger Lane. Canine, lateral, and central incisor. Ouch!”

“Quiet.” North commanded when the yetis and Bunny had returned. Mild bewilderment crossed his face as he looked between the yetis to Bunnymund and back again waiting for someone to explain.

“Well, where is he?” He cleared his throat.

“Not here.” Bunny, who stood off to the side, grumbled with his arms crossed. A question mark appeared above Sandy's head as everyone felt the same puzzlement.

“What you mean not here?” North asked slowly as if not understanding what Bunny had meant. Toothiana quieted the chirping of her fairies to better listen to what was being said.

“Pitch got there first.” Bunny replied disinterested. He grabbed one of his boomerangs and flicked some dirt off it before inspecting it closely and tracing the scuffs and scratches on it. Frustration grew inside of the group from Bunnymund's lack of answers.

“Pitch, what was Pitch doing there?” North probed again, trying to understand what had taken place.

“They teamed up. Jack is with the enemy now, and a friend of my enemy is also my enemy.” The pooka snarled and put his boomerang away.

“What about Manny? Manny chose him as a guardian, what are we going to do?” Toothy anxiously began to tug on a few feathers by her wrist.

“What we've always done, deal with it ourselves.” Snapped Bunny.

“No, we'll need help, but who can we enlist at such short notice?” North pondered. He began thoughtfully petting his beard as name after name raced through his mind. Tooth and Sandy carefully thought about each sprite they knew.

“Oh yeah cause that worked out so well last time.” Bunny grumbled as he watched the other Guardians.

Sandy jumped up with excitement, his hand raised high in the air. A star molded above his head.

“Last time?” Tooth questioned eyeing the pooka from confusion. They'd never asked for help before now.

Bunnymund shook his head from the deja vu that weighed on his mind, “It's nothing.” He muttered out. After a brief second of being confused, everyone returned to the task of figuring out who could help them.

Sandy tugged on the sleeve of Norths' shirt, finally gaining the man's attention. The star that Sandy had made above his head sparkled from the golden Dreamsand. A smile grew on North's face as he recognized the shape.

“Of course, your friend Polaris. We'll see her right away.” North assured, “Everyone to the sleigh.”

“I knew I shouldn't have eaten carrots today.” Bunny felt queasy at the mere thought of being in that death trap.

Chapter Text

Queries and Conflicts

Polaris stared intently at the star blinking at her, it was thousands of miles away, but in the dark of night it seemed so close. The stars twinkled and sparkled; Polaris nodded at some of them and as she responded to them, she flicked a light switch nearby off and on in a sort of coded rhythm; flickering the whole palace's lights.

She was so focused on what the star was communicating to her, that when the Guardians landed the sleigh, she didn't even flinch from the sound. As they approached her, they could hear her mumbling to herself.

“This is a strange one... Why would she even- Oh! Hahaha!! Maybe if she had a clear idea in mind...” Confusion set in around the Guardians as they tried to decipher what she was saying. “Ok, let's do that. Now on to the next one.” She floated over to the other side of the palace and began muttering under her breath once more and flipping another light switch.

The Guardians were unsure of what to do, and out of desperation turned to Sandy, but he wasn't beside them anymore. Toothy quickly spotted him calmly gliding up to Polaris before tapping her on the shoulder.

“Hmm...?” Polaris was coming out of a deep trance as she focused her attention on Sandy. A brief second passed and when she came out of her concentrated state of mind she squealed. The others flinched back in surprise at the sudden loud noise and took a subconscious step backwards.

“Sandy!!” She pulled him into a tight hug and spun around as they floated higher into the air. Polaris rubbed her face in his hair and laughed when she brushed away the sand from her face and clothes.

Bunnymund sneered as he looked her up and down, “This is who we are counting on to help us? This drongo?” Sandy and Tooth shot Bunny a glare before realizing that Polaris was now staring at them. She squealed once more and jumped up and down in excitement, her hair floating as she did so.

“North! Toothiana! Bunnymund! I'm so excited that you are here! Do you want the grand tour?” Before they could say anything, she began to zip around.

“This is this side, and that is that side, and this is my globe. It's super shiny. And over here are-- Reindeer!!” She grabbed hold of the first one's face and hugged him regardless of the deer trying to shake her off.

“Polaris...” Toothy began, trying to reel the hyper-active girl back in. Polaris whipped her head in the fairy's direction and twirled over to her. Tooth opened her mouth but was cut off before she could say anything.

“You know, you are just as lovely as Valens has always said. I hang out with him all the time, he won't let me play with his dolls though.” Polaris pouted before she cupped her own mouth and crept closer as if she were going to tell Toothy a secret. “He has a huge crush on you!” She whispered very loudly; everyone chuckled at Tooth's flushed face.

Bunny snorted from surprise to suppress laughter. “You mean that loser, Cupid?”

“You know, that's not what we're really here about.” Tooth put in with an uncomfortable chuckle trying her best to quickly change the subject. North and Bunny both laughed hysterically now as Tooth tried her best to remain composed.

Sandy tugged on the sleeve of Polaris' blouse, gaining her attention. Golden sand pictures flashed above his head; she crouched down so she would be eye level with the images. Polaris stayed still and quiet as Sandy continued to tell her what was going on.

“Guys, really. We don't have time for this. We need to tell her-” As Toothy and the guys turned back to Polaris to explain the situation, Tooth stopped mid-sentence stunned to see the once loud and excited girl now quietly concentrated on the sand made pictures.

“Is she even getting any of that?” Bunny asked them incredulously.

“We'll see.” North stated.

Soon Polaris stood with a strangely determined look on her face. She and Sandy approached Tooth, Bunny, and North but before she could say anything a bright rainbow color caught her attention. The Aurora Borealis shot across the sky and with that the Guardians and Polaris sprinted to the sleigh.

The North Pole was in a state of utter chaos. Toys and papers lay strewn about the room; some being picked up by a strong wind and thrown around. Large ice patches covered the toys along with parts of the room. A bodiless laughter ricocheted throughout the cavernous room. Yetis yelled at one another in panic as they looked upward frantically.

“Yhage cklwha kde!” Phil shouted out towards North while pointing up at the ceiling. They all looked up; a dark figure zipped around from side to side.

“Jack!” North called out trying to be heard over the ruckus.

“Fancy meeting you here.” Jack laughed at their bewildered expressions.

“Jack what are you doing?” Toothiana implored. Jack floated down and landed on top of the globe. He leaned on his staff in a casual way; infuriating Bunnymund. Sandy narrowed his eyes at Jack, knowing that Pitch must have sent him for something.

“Just having a bit of fun.” Jack answered smugly. One of North's elves tried to run past the winter sprite, but Jack froze him with a sweep of his staff. Tooth and Polaris gasped in horror as the frozen elf toppled over onto his side.

“Who's this?” he asked, noticing the strange girl with flowing hair and golden eyes.

“The North Star, Polaris. She has agreed to help us defeat Pitch.” North gestured towards the young girl. Jack's carefree and mischievous demeanor instantly changed as his eyes narrowed angrily at the group.

“Why, so you can keep me in the dark?” Jack muttered with a bitterness that surprised the Guardians.

Polaris looked down at Sandy, hoping that he could explain what was going on, but he was too intensely focused on Jack's every movement, so she turned back to the white-haired boy.

“What are you talking about?” Toothy inquired carefully.

“You know exactly what I'm talking about!”

The Guardians were stunned. What had Pitch told him, what happened to Jack that made him so angry with them? What was going on? The globe slowly started to ice over as the anger and distrust spread out from Jack to the Guardians. North cleared his throat to speak up.

“Are we going to capture this mongrel or what?” Bunny cut in abruptly, tired of this charade.

“What, can't catch me yourself? Afraid of a challenge, Peter Cottontail?” Jack mocked the pooka and was pleased to see that he got a rise out of it.

“Not ruddy likely.” Bunny snorted from the very idea of it.

“Oh, did I hurt the fuzzy wittle bunny's feelings?”

“Jack.” Toothy admonished.

“Not as bad as you're going to hurt after I'm finished pummeling the day lights out of you.” Bunny hissed as he moved to grab his trusty boomerang.

“Bunny!” Toothy was once again taken aback by the sheer hostility in his voice. North's arm flinched preparing to stop Bunnymund from attacking.

“Come on Captain Kangaroo, take your best shot.” Jack taunted haughtily; a big smirk on his face.

“Oh, that does it!” Bunny ripped his boomerangs from their holsters and hurled them towards the young boy.

“Bunny, wait, stop!” Polaris panicked as she reached out to grab Bunny's arm, only to grasp thin air.

Jack leapt off the globe and dived backwards off the balcony. With a sudden jerk, his staff erupted with brilliant blue light creating a large ice ramp. He slid off it shooting high into the air and with a quick wave ice shot out at the Guardians.

Sandy swept a large sand barrier in front of the group, protecting them from the icy blast.

Toothiana flew after Jack, dodging the icicles being fired at her with ease.

Jack touched down on the other side of the landing and bolted out of the path of the boomerangs that had been thrown once more in his direction.

Sandy morphed a large eagle out of Dream Sand and swooped at Jack, its talon narrowly missing his hood.

Polaris shifted uncertainly for a moment before hurrying after Sandy. As she flew into the air she readied and fired a star from her sling.

Jack turned just in time to catch it in a sheet of ice, the star only inches from his face.

Bunny tossed a couple of eggs in Jack's direction and Polaris hit them with two perfectly aimed shots. Brightly colored smoke exploded in front of Jack's face. He toppled backwards to get clear of the smog, bumping right into North's belly.

Jack pushed away from him making another dive over the banister, this time slowing down with the aid of the wind coming in from the broken window above him.

The Guardians surrounded him.

“Jack. We're not your enemies.” North spoke softly as if trying to calm a frightened horse, but Jack wasn't listening. He slammed his staff against the floor creating a sharp blast of ice in all directions.

The Guardians were caught off guard and had only a split second to react. North sliced through the ice with his scimitars, getting hit in the shoulder by a wayward piece of ice. Sandy shot out a wall of sand that burst once the ice hit it, absorbing the impact, Polaris froze and was thrown hard onto the floor, knocking the wind out of her. Toothiana spun around fiercely, shredding the ice into powder and Bunny, without time to react, was thrown backwards into the wall behind him, landing on his head.

Without another moments hesitation, Jack flew out the broken window and out of sight.

“Are you ok?” Polaris asked as she and the Guardians rushed to Bunny's side. She placed her hand gently on Bunny's shoulder, only for him to jerk away from her touch causing him to groan from the sharp pain he felt from the movement. He angrily rubbed his head and huffed in frustration.

Polaris felt a twinge of hurt cross her face momentarily as she withdrew from Bunnymund.

North sighed with resignation as he took in the absolute destruction and discord of The Pole. Broken toys, ripped papers, and crumbled treats littered the once polished marble floor. Ice and snow left puddles as they began to melt away. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and tried his best to remain calm.

Toothy gingerly picked up a once beautiful porcelain doll. Its rose face was smashed, and its once perfect ringlet hair was disheveled. She attempted to smooth the doll's hair out, but to no avail.

A question mark formed above Sandy's head as he also observed the damage.

“I don't know Sandy...” Polaris answered his silent question.

“What was that all about?” Toothy nervously tugged at her feathers on her arm.

“I'm not sure.” North hesitantly told them.

“There's no way this is a coincidence, he's up to something.” Bunny stood from his crouched position and approached North. “Is there anything missing?”

“Only one way to know for sure. We must clean up this mess and do inventory.” He replied solemnly, “Months of preparations for Christmas destroyed in a matter of minutes...” North rested his head in his hands and rubbed at his eyes hard, trying to clear the nauseated feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. A dainty, tanned hand patted his shoulder in a comforting manner. North smiled appreciatively at Polaris' gesture and straightened up to get the work done.

The Guardians and elves began to pick up and separate the toys and papers, while the yetis carefully took inventory of each individual item. Dolls, planes, books, and even crayons were placed gently into piles and eventually stood back up on the tables they were on originally.

Sandy created a sand broom and began sweeping up the broken pieces into a large pile to toss into the garbage can near one of the worktables.

Toothiana and Polaris used thick cloth to mop up the water and to dry off any of the gifts and documents; occasionally wringing out their cloth to sop up even more water.

As the few elves and yetis began to thaw from the ice that they were hit with, Bunnymund wrapped blankets around them and led them to the massive roaring fireplace that was always lit to warm The Pole. He cheered them up with handmade chocolates that he himself created from the most exotic ingredients.

North did his best to stay positive and made sure that the work was getting done quickly and sufficiently. His mind raced with all the possible reasons in which Pitch would want Jack to infiltrate his home and cause such a mess. What could he possibly gain from this?

Suddenly Tooth snapped her head up as if she had heard something the others had not. Her eyes narrowed in concentration and her head tilted to the side.

“Are you ok--”

“Somethings not right.” Tooth cut Polaris off abruptly. She zoomed up to the broken window and hesitated a moment, “There's something wrong at the Tooth Palace!” She called behind herself before rushing away.

The others glanced at the mess that was still around them then sprinted to the sleigh to follow after Toothy.

North shoved open a set of double doors, followed closely by Bunny, Sandy, and Polaris. Several Yeti's rush by as they prepare the hangar for launch.

“Boys, ship shape. As soon as impossible.” North hollered out to the yetis. The sound of pounding hooves echoed around the cavernous snow walls accompanied by beastly snorting.

Santa's incredible sleigh came into view. It's a huge, shiny, tricked out, jaw-dropping hot-rod of a sled. An enormous globe sat in the front of the sleigh and twinkled with hundreds of golden lights.

Polaris squealed at the sight of the reindeer again causing them to buckle and kick in surprise. Sandy pulled Polaris back from the animals in time to prevent her from being kicked. She hugged Sandy in gratitude and kept quiet so not to spook them again.

Bunny rubbed at his ears as a ringing hummed in his ears from Polaris' outburst. He grumbled under his breath and glared at the young girl, though she didn't seem to notice.

“Hey! Moi deti, moi deti. Quiet, quiet.” North calmly stroked the bridge of the first reindeer's nose getting him to calm done and affecting the others as well.

The sleigh came to a standstill as the Guardians prepared to climb inside. Several Yetis were still running around making last minute preparations.

Polaris jumped aboard immediately as she could barely contain her excitement at riding in the sleigh once more. North smiled at Polaris' childlike behavior and climbed inside. Sandy hopped up into the back seat.

“Everyone loves the sleigh.” North chuckled under his breath. He grabbed the reigns, wrapped them around his arms then turned to see Bunnymund standing there, frozen, and unnerved.

“Bunny, what are you waiting for?”

“I think my tunnels might be faster, mate. And um, and safer.” Bunnymund began to turn away, only to be grabbed by the scruff and hoisted into the sleigh.

“You've ridden in the sleigh before, why are you still frightened of it?” Polaris inquired carefully. Bunny glared at her and said nothing.

“Buckle up!” North shouted over the noise to the others.

“I get real sick of hearing you say that you know.” Bunny grumbled and tried his best to calm his churning stomach.

North turned to one of the Yetis. “Are we ready?” The Yeti threw his hands up in a fit and shook his head no.

“Good! Let's go! Clear!” North cracked the reigns with a shout, and the sleigh was off. Elves and yetis scattered out of its path. Sandy, Bunny, and Polaris flew back into their seats. Bunny clutched the edge of his, terrified. Polaris couldn't help but laugh.

“Out of the way!” North hollered warning the yetis who were working on the large posts that kept the tunnel from caving in. The sleigh headed down a luge-like track. Everyone was enjoying the ride except Bunnymund who felt like he was going to vomit.

“Ohhhhhh no!” Bunny swallowed hard to keep his food inside. North cracked the reigns, the sleigh plummeted, an almost vertical drop. Sandy grinned calmly. Polaris loved this; Bunnymund, not so much.

“Slow down, slow down!” Bunny pleaded but was ignored. Instead, North pulled a lever, kicking the sleigh into overdrive. He looked back as the sleigh entered a corkscrew.

“I hope you like the loopty loops!” North chuckled at the state of his pooka friend.

“I hope you like carrots.”

“Here we go!” North said as the sleigh reached the bottom of the ramp, and shot upwards, launching them into the bright blue sky.

North, reins in hand, leaned into the wind as the reindeer climbed higher, “Klasno!”

Bunnymund peaked off the side of the sleigh, then leaned back, and held on for dear life. Polaris giggled as the wind whipped her hair every which way. Sandy still had his hands up in the air enjoying the roller-coaster-like ride, a calm smile plastered on his face.

“Hold on everyone, I know a shortcut.” North reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful snow globe and held it up to his face.

“Oh strewth, I knew we should have taken the tunnels.” Bunnymund grumbled.

“I say, Tooth Palace.” An image of the Tooth Palace appeared inside the snow globe. North threw the globe into the air and a giant vortex opened. “Hyah!”

A surreal light surrounded the sleigh as it hit hyperdrive and was sucked through the snow-globe portal with a whoosh. The sleigh suddenly came out of hyperdrive at the outskirts of the Tooth Palace. Streaks of black rapidly approached.

“What!?” The Guardians were in mayhem, as hundreds of Nightmares and terrified Tooth Fairies jetted past. It was like a meteor storm. North yanked the reins, and the sleigh veered sharply, dodging the oncoming Nightmares.

“What are they!?” Polaris questioned horrified. Sandy and Bunny ducked the onslaught. “Whoa!” Polaris saw the Nightmares were gulping down the fleeing fairies and flying off with them. It was chaos.

“They're taking the tooth fairies!” Polaris looked up to see a lone fairy with a Nightmare snapping at its heels. Polaris leapt into the air and rescued it before the Nightmare could snatch it away, but she was hit by the Nightmare turning abruptly and knocked back in the sleigh. She cringed and groaned from the pain, but opened her hand to reveal Baby Tooth, who was shaking with fear.

“Hey little Baby Tooth, you okay?” As Baby Tooth nodded, North steered the sleigh forward through the storm toward the entrance of Tooth's Palace. They entered a vast chamber supported by pillars containing millions of tiny wooden deposit boxes from floor to ceiling. North spotted a Nightmare up ahead and handed Polaris the reigns.

“Here, take over!” North thrust the reins into Polaris' hands. Polaris tried to push them back into North's hands, but it was too late. She lurched with the sudden pull of the deer and tried her best to hold tightly onto the reins. Sweat rolled down her ghostly pale face.

North readied his sword and sliced the Nightmare in half, “Yah!”

Several tooth boxes spilled out of the split Nightmare and rained down into the sleigh at the Guardians' feet. The Nightmare disintegrated into black sand.

“They're stealing the teeth!” Bunny exclaimed. Sandy looked at his hands and saw the Nightmare sand take shape and drift away. He and Bunny exchanged a look. The Guardians turned heading straight for a pillar.

“Polaris, look out!” North yelled. Polaris jolted and pulled the reins.

“Aaaahhhh!” Polaris shrieked absolutely terrified. The sleigh nearly missed the pillar and skidded to a rough stop on a platform. They could see Tooth up above.

“Tooth! Are you alright?” Tooth was flying around, visibly frustrated.

“They, they took my fairies! And the teeth! All of them! Everything is gone! Everything.” Only then did it hit her; Tooth's wings dropped in defeat. She was completely lost amidst the devastation. The Guardians rushed to comfort her. Toothy was pulled into an awkward hug by Polaris as Baby Tooth popped out from her star pouch and flew over to Tooth.

“Oh, thank goodness! One of you is alright!” Toothiana cooed, her heart lifting the slightest amount.

Suddenly, chilling winds blew through The Guardians' very bones. They looked over to the adjacent platform and were surprised to see Jack Frost tossing a large bag through a portal.

North patted his pockets only to realize that he was missing a snow globe. His eyes widened as he realized just what Jack had been after in his workshop. He sheepishly shrugged his shoulders at his fellow Guardians.

“Why are you doing this? Why are you helping Pitch?” North queried anger tinging his voice.

“What else can I do? I have nothing, I am nothing... Pitch is the only one who believes in me.” Jack told them with resignation. His usual mischievous demeanor seemed put out.

“Jack, it doesn't have to be like this, come with us, we'll help you” Toothy implored desperate to end the senseless fighting and to have her fairies and teeth back.

“I'm sorry, but none of you understand what it feels like to be invisible.” Jack hid his face with the hood of his jacket and a wry smile appeared on his face. He turned his back on them and began to walk to the portal.

“I understand Jack,” Polaris interjected hoping to stop him, “It's hard not being believed in, but this isn't the way to go about it.” Jack did stop, dead in his tracks, and turned his head to look over at the young girl. Her eyes were just as despairing as the others. A twinge of guilt spread through him, but as quickly as it came, it left.

“You don't understand! None of you do!” Jack growled out with a sweep of his staff, hitting all of them with a blast of ice knocking them over.

The Guardians got up with a bit of a struggle, but before they could do anything, Jack stepped backwards into the portal, vanishing without a trace. With his departure, the Tooth Palace began to crack and slowly disintegrate. Toothy choked down a sob and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she surveyed her beautiful palace crumbling into ruin. Polaris rubbed her own arms trying to warm up from the chill that ran down her spine. She perked up a bit when Sandy wrapped her with a golden sand blanket.

A tiny golden figure of Baby Tooth floated briefly above Sandy's head along with a question mark.

“Where's Baby Tooth?” Polaris voiced.

Toothy's eyes went wide and full of panic as she zipped around calling out for her small friend. The Guardians searched around the perimeter, dug through empty teeth canisters, but could not find anything.

Finally, Bunnymund walked up to Tooth. He held out to her a tiny colorful feather, which Tooth recognized instantly. She gingerly took the feather from his fingers and held it close to her face as if hugging it.

“Jack took her...” She whimpered in a barely audible voice. “Now- now I have nothing.” North came up to Toothiana and pulled her to him in a side hug to comfort her. Sandy took one of her hands in his and gently patted it. Bunny smiled weakly, feeling out of his element, but still wanting to help, and Polaris embraced the girl shaking from the tears raking her body.

“What now?” Bunny muttered. The others looked at him with uncertainty in their eyes.

Chapter Text

The Forgotten Memories

The suffocating scent of cool, wet dirt and decaying leaves assaulted Jack's senses first after the portal closed. A thick darkness surrounded him; he blinked several times trying to adjust his eyes to the lack of light so he could see. Eventually he could make out the tunnel he was in.

Jack began to move forward dragging the last bag of teeth behind him. He brushed various roots aside and tried his best to stop his stomach from lurching from everything he was feeling. The hurt and betrayal on the Guardians' faces haunted him. As he turned the corner he came face to face with Pitch's Lair.

It was dim in the vast cave-like room. Large bird cages hung high from the ceiling and from them, the little Baby Teeth chattered angrily. Mountains of golden canisters that contained teeth littered the ground. They clanged and tumbled around as Jack dumped the contents of his bag onto the pile. He tossed the now empty bag away and curiously began to look at the pictures on the canisters.

“Why would Pitch send me to get children's teeth?” Jack muttered to himself. He sighed with frustration as he tossed the teeth down the pile, it clanged and clattered as it tumbled down. The sound echoed loudly making Jack wince.

“Because you're not the only child whose memories have been hidden from you.” Pitch's voice seemed to have come from all around Jack. The Nightmare King approached Jack seemingly sympathetic.

“What do you mean?”

“Haven't you ever wondered why the Tooth Fairy collects the teeth?” Pitch questioned with a raised brow.

“I guess I haven't really thought about it.” Jack shrugged. Pitch gave Jack a gentle pat on the shoulder, expressing that Jack was completely oblivious.

“They collect the teeth to modify the memories. To prevent the children from remembering things the Guardians don't want them to remember, like how the Easter Bunny didn't come one year, or how Santa Claus brought you socks when what you really wanted was a doll.” Pitch drawled apathetically.

“And I'm going to unlock them.” Pandora interjected, stepping out of the shadows.

“You're that little girl from the other day.” Jack stated with confusion.

“Yes, I've been watching you Jack, and I'd say I made the right call when I had Pitch convince you to join us.” Pandora's cold, hard gaze made Jack uncomfortable, but he refused to avert his eyes from hers. He felt trapped, like a small rabbit and she, a vicious black panther. He could feel his hands trembling and quickly curled them into fists to hide his growing fear.

“Who are you?” Jack was surprised that he had managed to keep his voice even.

“That's right, I've forgotten that we haven't been properly introduced, seeing as I already know so much about you. My name is Pandora, bringer of chaos and ruin. I understand my servant Pitch is going to help you retrieve your memories.” A frightening smile twisted her innocent face into something more animalistic. A chill suddenly shuddered down Jack's spine.

“Servant?” Pitch grumbled indignantly. Pandora ignored his comment, her stare unwavering from Jack.

“How exactly are we going to get my memories back?”

“It's simple enough really, but as you can see,” Pandora drawled gesturing around her, “we've got some digging to do. In the meantime, though.” She snapped her fingers. Wraith came forward from out of the shadows and stood by Pandora.

Jack felt uneasy but couldn't put his finger on why. He should be happy. Pitch and Pandora were going to help him. Everything he ever wanted was within these golden canisters somewhere. The sheer volume of them and the heaviness that surrounded him made him uncomfortable.

“I'm going to get some air.” He muttered before bolting out of the caves to get above ground.

As soon as Jack was gone, Pandora gestured to her shadow creature. Wraith reached inside of his body and pulled out a small child. Cupcake shook from pure terror with tears dripping from her wide eyes down her face. Wraith dropped the girl onto the cold hard ground making her hiss from the pain and cry harder. Cupcake’s knees now bled from the impact; she held herself tightly as if to comfort herself.

“Listen up, we have a lot of work to get done and if any of you try to stop me or run away, I will send this child into the darkness and feed her soul to the Nightmares. Do we have an understanding?” Pandora growled inhumanly.

Not a single sound could be heard. The Baby Teeth shuffled restlessly.

“Good, now that that's cleared up. Wraith, make sure the girl doesn't go anywhere.”

“No! Please no, not again!” Cupcake kicked and screamed as Wraith grabbed the frightened girl and brought her into himself once more. Cupcake could no longer be heard.

With a wave of Pandora's hand, the cages opened, and the Baby Teeth got to work altering the memories of the teeth. Turning the bright, clear memories dim and faded. With every set of teeth they modified, lights on the globe began to flicker out making the Baby Teeth and Guardians weaker and weaker.

Pandora and Pitch could feel power surging inside of them.

Baby Tooth was horrified at what she was witnessing. In a fit of fury, she flew up to Pandora's face chirping angrily. Pandora backed up briefly, startled, then glared at the tiny hummingbird fairy. The Baby Teeth stopped what they were doing and cheered Baby Tooth on.

They were cut off abruptly though as Pandora swatted Baby Tooth like an annoying fly, sending her crashing into one of the bird cages locking her in. She slumped to the bottom, the cage swinging wildly from the force of her hitting it. Dark spots littered her vision as pain shot up her spine. Baby Tooth's breath was uneven and ragged, the pain caused her to pass out.

“Anyone else?” Pandora seethed. The Baby Teeth quickly went about their work without another peep.

Jack sighed with relief to be away from Pandora, something about her didn't sit right with him, but he didn't know what. He looked up at the moon for comfort, but it seemed to be sad. It didn't glow as brightly as it normally did, and it had a frown upon the surface instead of its usual smile.

His mind trailed off to the past two days and everything that Pitch had told Jack. The Guardians were deceitful and kept Jack in the dark. They were to blame for his missing memories and for him being alone for all those years.

Jack ground his teeth together and clutched his hands. Angry; that's how he was supposed to feel, right? Jack sighed. He felt drained. Were the Guardians really all that bad? They sounded desperate for him to join their side, but wasn't that because they wanted to keep him confused and lost in the darkness?

Even after everything that Jack was told, he couldn't help but feel that what he was doing was wrong. He trashed and stole from the North Pole and the Tooth Palace. But he had to. To retrieve his memories and be seen and loved by children, he had to steal from them.

Suddenly a loud sound jostled Jack from his reverie. He quickly got to his feet and hopped across the housetops to see what was going on.

North's sleigh had crash landed in front of the Bennett household. The reindeer kicked and snorted until they managed to break free from the reins and escape. North tried his best to get out of the sleigh to stop the deer but toppled out instead. Toothy carefully pulled herself from the sleigh but caught her foot on the lip and fell on top of North. Sandy and Polaris on the other hand, hopped out without any problems.

Jack scanned the area from his spot but couldn't see Bunnymund from how far he was. North shakily pulled himself up using the edge of the sleigh for balance before pulling his sword out to use as a cane. Toothy graciously accepted Polaris' hand to be pulled up.

Polaris reached into the sleigh and grabbed something small that Jack couldn't see. Then Sandy used his sand to help the Guardians get into Jamie's bedroom window.

Jack waited a few moments before he swiftly and quietly jumped to the window and peered inside.

The Guardians crept up to the bed exhausted. Even though they had been collecting teeth, it was a losing battle. More and more of the lights had gone out faster than they could collect teeth and even when they had gathered the teeth, the lights still went out, but they had to try.

North tripped over his own feet and fell against Jamie's bed causing the whole thing to jerk a little to the side. Polaris and Toothy quickly shushed North. They glanced back over to Jamie to see that he was still sleeping soundly; they all sighed in relief.

Toothiana slowly approached the head of Jamie's bed while smiling softly. The boy was so peaceful and serene. She brushed some of his hair to the side and could feel her heart lighten a little. Toothiana loved children and was happy that she could see so many of them. She missed being able to retrieve the teeth in person, but there were just so many kids. A small frown appeared on her face.

“Just grab the tooth already.” Bunny grumbled. Tooth shot him a glare before reaching under Jamie's pillow, pulling out a small white tooth, and replacing it with a shiny gold coin.

As Toothiana shuffled back to the group, her heart shot into her throat when she stepped on a small dog toy that squeaked under her foot. A low growl alerted the Guardians that they had awoken the large grey hound that had been sleeping on the floor.

Bunny huddled deeper into Polaris' arms to hide from the canine. The Guardians winced as a bright light lit up their faces momentarily blinding them. Jamie was holding a flashlight in one hand and had his other hand on his dog to stop her from attacking. He stared at the people in his room with disbelief. His young face slowly changed to an angry scowl the longer he looked at the Guardians.

Jamie moved the light to each face. The Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, the Sand Man, and the Easter Bunny which appeared to be floating in midair. Jamie raised an eyebrow at the sight.

“What are you doing here?” He snarled.

“What do you mean? You lost a tooth; we've come to collect it.” Toothiana's voice shook from the surprising malice she received from the young boy. The other Guardians shuffled uncomfortably under Jamie's glare. Polaris was glad that she was unseen but could feel the suffocating tension in the air.

“That's a first.” Jamie spat venomously.

“What do you mean, I have every one of your teeth since you started losing them at age five.” Toothy tried her best to reason with the eight-year-old, but he only became more enraged. Tooth tugged at her feathers nervously and backed into North.

“And you, fat man!” Jamie practically shouted as he focused his attention on North; North couldn't help but flinch.

“Fat man?” He questioned softly.

“You have some nerve showing up here after that stunt you pulled this past Christmas.” Jamie jabbed his pointer finger into North's face, making the man blink. “Because of you, my parents got a divorce! Everything was perfect until you ruined it. It's all your fault. I hate you! I hate all of you! Get out, get out of my house!” After his outburst, Jamie let go of his dog.

Toothiana and Polaris screamed, Bunnymund cursed under his breath, and North and Sandy jumped back in surprise. North tried to block the dog as she lunged for him with his scimitar but couldn't lift the heavy sword for more than a minute. Instead, the dog bit onto North's right arm making North drop his sword and topple to the floor with a pain-filled shout.

“Sandy, do something!” Polaris squeaked as she and Tooth tried to release the dog’s death grip. Bunny kicked the dog with his small back paws in an attempt to help in his small form.

Sandy acted quickly and tossed his golden Dreamsand onto the dog's head making her fall asleep. North clutched his bleeding arm to his body and with the help of the Guardians, got back on his feet. Polaris ripped the end of her dress off and tied it tightly around North's injury.

“What'd you do to my dog?” Jamie choked out stunned.

“Sandy! Knock him out!” Bunnymund ordered from his safe spot back in Polaris' arms. The Guardians all gave him a look of bewilderment as Sandy approached Jamie, punching one fist into his palm in a threatening manner.

“With the Dreamsand, ya gumbies.” Bunny trailed off feeling like he had already said this once before but came up blank when he tried to think of when.

Sandy put Jamie to sleep, and the Guardians felt relieved.

“What was that all about?” Toothy meekly spoke up. No one knew quite what had happened and no one had any ideas. Polaris trailed her eyes over to the window and stiffened to see a pair of blue eyes staring straight back at her. Her heart lurched as she jumped back alerting the other Guardians.

“Jack?” Polaris whispered, and just like that, he vanished.

“Oh, no he doesn't!” Bunny shouted. The Guardians wasted no time in jumping out of the window, into the sleigh, and using Sandy's Dreamsand, haphazardly lifted into the sky to follow Jack.

The icy wind whipped and stung their faces as they tried to keep up. Jack ran on top of roofs, zig-zagged around chimneys and traipsed on electric wires. Even though Sandy was doing his best to avoid hitting anything, the weight of the sleigh and other Guardians that he was carrying, was slowing them down. Jack was getting farther and farther away.

“Hurry, Sandy!” North hollered over the noise of the rushing wind.

Sandy tried his best to propel them faster. Jack ran on top of the phone wires, freezing them with his touch before abruptly hopping over to a tree and using the crook of his staff to swing on a low branch to fling himself into the air. Jack twisted around and shot a blast of ice at the sleigh, which Sandy easily evaded.

Jack used the wind to blitz forward, creating a sizable gap between the sleigh and himself. He maneuvered around a tree house and flew between several telephone posts trying to shake them off, but Sandy remained vigilant, turning the sleigh sharply around the obstacles and nearly nicking a few chimneys in the process. Jack then dropped to an alleyway and jumped from wall to wall making it difficult for Polaris to properly aim her trusty sling at him.

Sandy tried desperately to keep the winter sprite in his line of sight, but with the added effort of keeping the sleigh aloft and preventing it from crashing into the multitude of houses, shops, and the occasional tree he finally lost Jack after he whipped behind a corner.

“Where’d he go?” Polaris questioned aloud as she glanced around in search of her quarry.

The Guardians glanced around desperately, listening hard for any sound that might have been out of place, but Jack had managed to elude them once again.

Sandy set the sleigh on the ground as Bunny swore under his breath, hopped out of the sleigh, and began sniffing the air. “I’ve got nothing.” He growled. “He must be upwind of us.”

Toothiana frowned in concentration as she gingerly climbed out of the sleigh, clearly not wanting to repeat her previous departure which had been less than graceful. She squinted against the dark sky. “He can’t have gone that far, can he?”

“Is no use.” North said, tiredly rubbing the bridge of his nose. “We’ll simply have to wait until he makes his next move.”

“Why should we even bother?” Bunny asked, becoming more agitated by the second. “It’s not like we need him and if nobody wants him around, all the better I say.”

“You’re wrong Bunny.” Polaris replied gently, “We do need him. Manny said so.”

“Well maybe, just maybe, he was wrong!”

Polaris took a deep breath to keep her voice steady. “Bunny, stop taking your anger out on me.” Bunnymund had the sense to at least look a little ashamed. “I don’t know why we need Jack on our side,” she continued, “but Manny believes he is important and if we can’t trust in Manny, who can we trust?”

Jack watched the Guardians from his hiding place in the shadows. They were close. Too close. Every instinct he had told him to move, but if he so much as breathed too loudly he was certain they’d hear him.

He listened intently to their conversation as he pondered his next move. He didn’t have to think about it long though as a Nightmare suddenly dashed through the street, catching everyone’s attention.

“Sandy! Go after it!” North directed. “Polaris, help him.”

The pair hurried after the mare while the others, drained of their powers, could do nothing but watch helplessly from the sidelines.

Sandy stayed on the heels of the Nightmare with ease. Polaris pulled out a couple of shooting stars and tossed them free hand spooking the mare away from an open window of a building. Polaris quickly hopped on top of the roof and raced across the cement to beat the mare to the end of the building. Sandy winked at her as he noticed her position; She nodded back in response.

Polaris took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart, spread her arms out as wide as they could go and leaned over the edge of the rooftop. She slammed into the side of the mare that had just rounded the corner.

The Nightmare reared up and whinnied in an angry panic causing Polaris to slide back and nearly lose her hold. She finally managed to clamor onto the Nightmare’s back just as he started to gallop and buck wildly, slamming his body against the sides of the buildings nearest him to crush his rider. Polaris struggled to hold on. She was losing her grip and very quickly sliding off the back of the mare.

Polaris saw her chance to end this wild ride just up ahead. She held tightly onto its mane just long enough for the flagpole to come within range. Polaris yanked the mane causing the mare to falter and slam into the pole, knocking it off kilter and began falling to the ground like a rock. Polaris bailed just seconds before the mare slammed into the ground. Sandy floated down next to Polaris and smiled at her before gently touching the frantic Nightmare and turning it into Dreamsand.

“Nice work, Sandman.” A disembodied voice echoed ominously around them. “It’s always nice to see you in action.” Pitch finished as he slunk out from the shadows.

“Pitch, you coward!” Bunnymund shouted angrily from North’s shoulder as Toothiana helped North closer to the trio.

“And let’s give a round of applause to Jack Frost for making this little reunion possible.” Pitch announced gesturing in Jack’s direction, compromising his hiding spot. Jack looked surprised and confused as the Guardians turned to face him. Bunnymund glared daggers in his direction.

“Jack! You miserable, low-life piece of-”

“Bunny!” Tooth glared, interrupting his series of insults.

Jack shifted into the moonlight, moving closer to Pitch and keeping a close eye on the Guardians in case they tried to start something. His eyes locked with Polaris’ for a moment before he looked away awkwardly as the tension rose.

“Jack, whatever Pitch has told you, whatever promises he’s made, he can’t be trusted. He will do nothing but lie to get what he wants and then when he’s done with you, he’ll leave you to the shadows.” North said gently, “You’re expendable to him.”

Jack looked angry but concerned as he looked from Pitch to the Guardians and back again but opted to say nothing.

Pitch’s grin suddenly faltered as his eyes met Sandy’s steady glare.

Sandy's whip lashed out with unfathomable speed as it wrapped around Pitch's torso and flung him high into the air.

"So that's the way it's going to be, is it?" Pitch snarled. "Very well." Without hesitation, hundreds of Nightmares rose from the shadows and began charging towards the Guardians, who remained weak and powerless.

Polaris, who had been just behind Sandy, dove down in a panic. She quickly shot a spattering of shooting stars into the lead Mares, causing them to dissipate on impact.

A third of the remaining Mares split up and chased after Sandy as Pitch shot out sand-made shrapnel in Sandy's direction. He easily avoided the attack, his normally congenial face contorted into an angry scowl as he shuttled closer to Pitch, the Dreamsand cloud billowing and tossing angrily like a storm-tossed sea.

Sandy's whip lashed out and wrapped around the scythe the Nightmare King held tightly in his grasp. Pitch pulled it forward, knocking Sandy off balance. He took the opportunity to take a cheap shot straight at Sandy's golden head, but Sandy anticipated the move and had transformed his whip into a large sword, meeting Pitch's power head on.

The Nightmares were closing in and Polaris could feel her hands shaking in fear. She knew in their current state the other Guardians would be easily taken. She swallowed her fear and with more courage than she felt, she loaded her sling and fired quick shots at the Mares.

The Mares charged her in retaliation.

"Get down!" Polaris ordered over the clattering hooves. The Guardians immediately dove to the ground as Polaris began to spin like a tornado, glowing brighter and brighter. When she finally came to a standstill a powerful sonic boom filled with shooting stars burst from her, launching at the Mares, knocking them down en mass.

Jack dodged a few near misses before hitting the ground to avoid being turned into Swiss cheese. The remaining Mares regrouped and headed for Sandy and Pitch. Polaris turned to go after them before a sudden weakness from the attack pulled her out of balance. She felt herself begin to topple backwards when a cool embrace grabbed her arms and kept her upright.

It took her a moment to regain her equilibrium and when she finally did, she looked up to see Jack holding her back to him to keep her from face planting on the hard packed Earth.

"Are you ok?" Jack asked as she removed herself from his person, a bright blush flushing across her cheeks.

"Yeah, fine." She muttered awkwardly in reply.

"That was amazing! What was that?"

Polaris looked pleased, but before she could respond an incredibly angry gray blur shot passed her and began kicking at Jack's face. Jack easily, but confusedly, blocked Bunny's assault.

"You have a lot of nerve showing your ugly mug around here, mate!" Bunny snarled as Jack pushed him away.

"Bunny, enough!" Toothiana growled grabbing the feisty pooka by his ears and holding him tightly to her chest to prevent another attack.

North slowly made his way to the group, eyes locked on Jack's. "What are you doing here, Jack?"

"What?" Jack looked confused and a little nervous.

“Is this what you want? To be allies with the likes of Pitch?"

Jack opened his mouth to reply, but before he could do so, a loud clang caught the group's attention as Sandy tried his best to fight off both Pitch and the Nightmares.

"Polaris!" North shouted, pointing to the battle.

"On it!" Polaris immediately dashed into the air towards the battle readying a star in her sling.

The Nightmares began pacing in a circle around Sandy and Pitch as if egging on their master. Their sand whipping into a violent vortex.

As Polaris neared the ring of Mares, she could barely see Sandy and Pitch through the sand stinging her eyes. Blocking swing after swing they fought in an epic battle of ultimate forces. Their movements were nearly indiscernible to the naked eye. Every time their weapons locked a flash of light burst from the opposing powers colliding.

While Polaris watched on, half blind from the force of the wind and sand biting at her face, the Nightmares took notice of her approach and boxed her in. They crept closer, like a pack of wolves closing in on their unsuspecting prey. Polaris caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye, but it was too late for tactical maneuvers. She fumbled for her pouch when the Mares dove at her, closing the distance.

Her punch to the nearest Mare's muzzle did little to fend off the horde and before she knew it a fierce kick to the stomach sent her crashing down onto the nearest rooftop.

She turned her face to the battle above her, her hair whipping uncontrollably in every direction as Pitch's voice echoed through the night sky.

"You can't beat me, Sandman!" Their weapons clanged together, faces inches apart as they each attempted to throw the other off their balance; sweat dripping down their faces. "In case you haven't noticed, my powers now surpass yours." Sandy's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

"The children no longer believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or little fairies that come in the night and with each child that turns to despair and anger and hatred, your powers weaken and a surge of indescribable power flows through my veins."

As he spoke, sharp spears of Nightmare sand formed from a few of the Mares below him.

"Sandy!" Polaris shrieked in terror, but her words fell short and in an instant Sandy was skewered, held in place only by the spikes.

"Sweet dreams, Sandman." Pitch whispered as Sandy shook, his eyes half-lidded and breath shallow. His fingers loosened over his sword and in the blink of an eye, he was swallowed by the darkness.

"No...." Jack froze with shock. This isn't at all what he wanted. This wasn’t part of the plan. No one was supposed to get hurt.

A loud, high-pitched sound was distorting his senses. What was that? Jack looked over towards the roof top that Polaris was crumpled on top of. Her hands dug into her temples as if to black out what she had just seen. The sound, screams, ripping through her throat until her voice gave out entirely.

Polaris was stuck, trapped in a constant replay of her best friend and only family dying right before her eyes. A wave of guilt and grief washed over Jack making it difficult to breathe. Though Sandy’s death wasn’t his doing, Jack couldn’t help but feel responsible and from the grief-stricken expressions on the Guardians’ faces, his chances of forgiveness was utterly dismal.

Jack fled, seeking out Pitch and seeking out answers.

Chapter Text

From Chaos

"Pitch!" Jack's voice echoed in the darkness that surrounded him. He stormed through the tunnel and into the cavernous room. The cages of Baby Teeth disturbed Jack now, as he scanned the area trying to spot the Nightmare King.

Pandora sat on a makeshift throne of teeth canisters with a most pleased look upon her face. Jack scowled and tromped furiously up the mountain of golden canisters; stumbling on a few loose ones on his way to get to Pandora.

"What the hell just happened back there?" Jack seethed. Pandora casually glanced up at him from her tea party with Wraith, who was wearing a large brim sunhat. She ignored his inquiry and turned back to offer Wraith a blueberry scone.

Jack slapped the plate of flakey pastries from her small hand making the plate shatter when it hit the ground. The winter sprite then grabbed Pandora by her shoulders and forced her to acknowledge him. A quick snap from Pandora and Jack was lifted painfully by one of Wraith's monstrous hands and thrown into a pile of teeth causing several golden cylinders to skitter loudly across the floor.

Pitch arrived shortly afterwards along with his hoard of Nightmares. Jack groaned in pain and carefully gathered himself off the floor. He glowered at Pandora and then looked to Pitch for answers.

"Pitch! What was that back there? This wasn't part of the plan. No one was supposed to get hurt!" With each word, Jack felt more turmoil and rage course through him. His clenched fists began to sweat and shake with his anger.

Pandora broke into hysterical laughter that made Jack feel uneasy.

"Why are you laughing?" Jack inquired.

"You are so naive. You actually thought you were worth something." Pandora's laughter stopped abruptly. Jack looked back and forth between Pitch and Pandora with uncertainty. He resisted the urge to take a step back and instead stepped towards them.

"What? What do you mean?" He trailed off. An animalistic smile stretched across her face.

Jack felt paralyzed as Pandora stood from her throne and stalked up to him. His heart pounded in his chest so hard that he swore that she could hear it. Jack did his best to control his uneven breathing as she violently jabbed her finger into his face, making him take a couple steps backwards.

“You’re pathetic! You’re the most naïve and gullible idiot that I have ever met. It’s no wonder that the Guardians gave up on you. It’s a cruel irony that one of their own would be the key to their undoing.”

Pitch chuckled, a cold, soulless sound that reverberated off the walls making the hair on the back of Jack’s neck stand on end.

“It truly amazes me how easy it was to convince you that we were actually going to help you.” Pandora’s words were cold and emotionless, matching her red eyes perfectly. “You were so desperate and so easy to manipulate. It truly is a wonder that the Guardians saw anything in you in the first place.” Jack’s face paled white, but he was paralyzed with shock and horror as realization set in. He had been tricked; little more than a pawn in Pandora’s and Pitch’s plan to destroy the Guardians.

“And just think, without your interference that pathetic do-gooder, the Sandman, would still be alive.”

“No.” Jack took another step backwards towards the tunnels.

“Just think, you single-handedly destroyed the North Pole, you ruined Easter, and you destroyed the hopes and beliefs of millions of children all over the world.” Pandora continued, her smile turning increasingly menacing.

“No, you’re lying!” Jack stammered, stumbling over a gold canister.

“And you, Jack,” Pandora sneered viciously, “are responsible for the death of Sanderson Mansnoozie. His blood is on your hands.”

“You wanted your precious memories, Jack.” Pitch twirled Jack’s container in between his lithe fingers. “So, take them!” Pitch threw them at Jack, hitting the sprite in the jaw. Jack fumbled but managed to catch them.

He stared hard at the cylinder in disgust and horror. His heart began to race, and it felt like all the air was suddenly sucked out of his lungs. He struggled to catch his breath and sweat began to trickle down his face. The dark was so thick, the walls were closing in, Jack was feeling claustrophobic. He had to get out! He stuffed the canister in his hoodie pocket and bolted out of the tunnel as fast as he could.

Pitch and Pandora’s laughter ringing loudly behind him.

The cool metallic cylinder felt heavy in Jack’s hand. He stared long and hard at the small picture of a young boy with messy brown hair and lively brown eyes. Jack knew it was a depiction of him even though he now adorned blue eyes and white silvery hair. He traced the picture with his thumb; a lump in his throat made it difficult to breathe. His heart thudded loudly trying to burst through his aching chest. Everything Jack had ever wanted to know was right inside this insignificant box.

Jack felt conflicted. He had been part of the reason that one of the Guardians had died. He couldn’t believe that he had played a part in destroying so many lives. When had he become so selfish? When did his memories and being seen become more important than children’s hopes and dreams? Jack clutched the canister tightly in his fist. He tried to throw the box, tried to throw away his desire to know himself. He didn’t deserve to know. He deserved to stay lost and forgotten in the darkness. Try as he may though, Jack just couldn’t get out of his mind that he had to know. He had risked so many things just to get here, so didn’t he at least have the right to look?

A long melancholy sigh erupted from Jack’s constrained chest. He brought the box back to his face and frowned deeply. He hesitantly ran his thumb across the top and watched in bewilderment as his memories came flooding back as if he were on the outside looking in.

Brief flashes of memories rushed through Jack’s mind. Memory after beautiful memory caressed Jack in a warmth that was vaguely familiar to him. Each new memory made Jack smile more and lifted his heavy heart. The town that Jack had grown up in was so lively and filled with so many different people.

Jack’s life came in short but sensory exhilarating bursts of pure joy. He could smell flakey, buttery bread baking in the village that warmed him from the inside out. He then could smell the woods with its earthy yet rich scent of life as he, his sister, and their friends played in the trees and bushes. Jack could hear innocent and blissful laughter echoing around him with the occasional voice calling out to him. He could feel the warmth of the crackling fireplace as he and his family shared in laughter while sitting around it; Jack usually being the cause of it.

Then finally, everything seemed to slow down long enough for Jack to process what he had seen. His head was reeling from the over stimulation that he had received from the memories. This last memory came slowly into focus more than the others seemed to have. Jack could feel the bitter cold hit his face as he walked out of the house. He had his ice skates draped over his shoulder.

“Be careful.” Jack’s mother called out from the doorway, an unseen expression on her face. Jack shook his head like he had heard it a million times but had never paid any mind.

“We will.” He laughed over his shoulder, never stopping once as he walked towards the woods with his sister in tow.

“It's okay. It's okay. Don't look down, just look at me.” Jack reached slowly down and removed the second of two rudimentary ice-skates, leaving him barefoot on the surface of the frozen pond. Mary, who was about eight years old, stood in her skates, rooted to the spot. A spider's web of cracks emanated from where she stood.

“Jack, I'm scared.” Mary whispered with a quick worried look down at the thin ice as it splintered more. She wobbled unsteadily as it started to separate.

“I know, I know...but you're gonna be alright. You're not gonna fall in. We're gonna have a little fun instead.” Jack tried to reassure the young girl as he racked his brain for a solution.

“No, we're not!” Mary cried out; fear evident in her wavering voice.

“Would I trick you?”

“Yes! You always play tricks!”

“Well, alright. Well, not- not this time. I promise. I promise, you're gonna be...you're gonna be fine.” Jack fixed her gaze and held it. “You have to believe in me.”

Jack's sister paused a moment, then smiled through her fear. And just like that, Jack's demeanor changed.

“You wanna play a game? We're going to play Hopscotch! Like we play every day!” Mary began to feel more reassured.

“It's as easy as...one...whoaaaa...” Jack showed his sister the first leap, but purposely slid, nearly falling, just to make her laugh.

“Two...Three!” He turned toward her with his arms spread out.

“Alright...” He reached down to pick up a staff lying on the ice. He extended it towards her, “Now it's your turn.”

Jack's sister looked down. She was trying to gather her courage. Jack never broke his gaze with her, “One...” She hopped, wobbled, but caught her balance.

“That's it, that's it...two...” She's almost there, Jack's staff just beyond her reach. “Three.” Jack looped the staff around her waist and in one massive effort he whipped her with all his might to safety, but the movement propelled him onto the cracked ice. He looked up to see his sister safe, smiled, and then the ice suddenly gave way.

“Whoa!”

“Jack!” His sister screamed in panic.

Jack plunged into the water. He looked up at the hole in the ice as he descended into the dark, icy depths. The full moon appeared from behind the clouds as Jack's hands clawed through the water towards the surface, but it was helpless. The moon glowed brighter and brighter and with it, Jack's body began to glow, bathed in moonlight until his brown hair turned white and Jack’s bright blue eyes flashed open.

“That's why you chose me. I'm- I'm a Guardian.” The realization hit Jack like a ton of bricks to his gut. He brought his legs up into himself and laid his head on top of his knees. Everything Jack had done up to this point had been pointless. Instead of becoming believed in, he had caused millions of children around the world to lose their most precious memories. They were now bitter and hateful shells of their once innocent selves.

Jack had single-handedly destroyed the joy and hope around the world with his involvement in stealing the childrens’ teeth. He had been the cause of so much despair and even Sandy’s untimely demise. Jack had been lied to and used for something that he was not given this second chance for.

Jack clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. His breathing became ragged and sharp. Tears soaked his red face. Finally, Jack exploded. He screamed with all his emotions.

The wind around Jack was becoming increasingly aggressive with his spiraling emotions. Snow and ice beat down on his pale form. The frigid wind sliced through the trees with a loud, thunderous sound making Jack’s white hair whip violently around his face. The blizzard furiously blanketed the town in white making it impossible to see through.

Jack clutched his head tightly as if he would lose himself if he didn’t. He dug his palms harder into his temples to try to quiet the anguish he felt. Black spots began to dance across his vision, but he didn’t care as it eased him a bit.

His screams fell silent after his throat grew hoarse and it was too painful to continue. The pain in his throat was a constant reminder of what he had done every time he swallowed. Gradually, Jack could feel exhaustion eat at his weary mind. The blizzard slowed down to a gentle, fluffy powder that floated to the ground softly. The wind had ceased completely.

After many hours of sitting on the frozen pond surrounded and covered by freshly fallen snow, Jack’s arms dropped to his sides from exhaustion. He reluctantly lifted his head to see nothing but stark white snow. He blinked from the sudden brightness that made the frosty night not seem so dark. He shifted his gaze up and was surprised to see the moon smiling at him as if to say that he could still do something to change what he did. Jack felt comforted while looking at the beautiful glowing orb. He gathered himself up, his muscles protesting the sudden movement. He picked up his staff and the discarded box of teeth and then looked up once more.

“Manny…. What do I do now?” Jack whispered through the pain still in his throat.

Manny glowed even brighter, and shadows quickly formed into a bustling city. The shadowy city focused on an enormous, fantastical castle. Jack continued to watch what Manny was showing him as the shadows portrayed the Tsar and Tsarina of this kingdom. It then showed the royal children. One, a young boy that was intelligent, courageous, and kind, the other was his little sister who was mischievous, energetic, and playful.

It was clear that the children were the best of friends. They were always together, whether that be from playing games, getting into trouble, or caring for the citizens of their kingdom; Lunanoff.

One day the prince and princess were playing tag, the girl weaving her way through the crowds of people and hopping over carts of merchandise on display. Her brother, not far behind her, followed her path and tried his best to tag her back. They giggled from the pure adrenaline that pumped through their veins. The girl squealed when the boy’s fingers grazed her dress. She pounded her feet harder and used a streetlamp to propel her into the alleyway on her left. Her brother, not expecting the sudden direction change, skidded to a stop then rushed after her, now further away.

The princess continued to switch directions every so often to gain even more distance from her brother. Soon enough, she could no longer see or hear the boy. The young girl slowed down, gasping for breath, heart exploding in her chest, but she continued walking fast, not wanting to get tagged.

She giggled in between gasps of air. As she kept walking, she took in her surroundings and realized she didn’t know where she was anymore. The girl wasn’t worried though as she continued.

Soon she came across a large building surrounded by a tall, barbed fence with ‘No Trespassing’ signs posted to it. The girl walked along the fence until she came across a hole big enough for her to fit through. Feeling adventurous and strangely drawn toward it, the girl crawled through and made her way over to the stone building.

Security guards stood near the front of the building chatting and smoking cigars. The girl carefully crept along the wall, peaking around the corner only to spot more guards by the back door. She sighed, uncharacteristically frustrated, and started searching the wall to find an alternate way in. She spotted a basement window and pulled hard on its ledge; locked. Something from inside seemed to call to her. She peered through the dusty window into a room that was too dark to decipher the shapes inside. Whispers caressed her from the shadows within. She pushed her ear up to the pane, but still couldn’t make sense of the words being said. They made her feel funny, pulling her to them.

The princess looked around her for a moment before grabbing a nearby rock, about the size of her fist. Sweat began to bead on her brow. There was clearly a good reason this building was so heavily guarded. This was a really bad idea, but the voices were louder, more insistent. Her head began to swim languidly and before she knew it, she smashed the window.

The guards could be heard shouting, feet pounding on the ground getting closer to where she sat, frozen in fear. But the voices. The voices were lulling her to them. A little peek couldn’t hurt.

The girl swiftly slid in through the small window and hissed in pain as the glass shards embedded into her palms. She whimpered, but it was too late to turn back now. Tears stung her eyes and threatened to spill as she gazed about the room, the whispers now louder as if there were hundreds of voices all around her and nowhere at the same time. She covered her ears briefly with her arms to try to block out the deafening sound, but dropped her arms when she spotted it.

In the middle of the room stood an ornate wood box encased in glass. The girl slowly approached the strange item and felt an overwhelming compulsion to open it. She frantically groped the sides of the pedestal before finding and inspecting a small panel. She nervously retracted her fingers. She had a feeling her parents would be furious. She shouldn’t be here, but the voices grew even more insistent, buzzing in her ears and making her head feel numb.

She quickly pushed various buttons on the panel, trying to guess the code, but a blaring alarm went off instead, alerting everyone to her location. She hardly noticed the sound as panic suddenly overtook her senses. She frantically mashed at the panel with her fist, desperate to shift the barrier.

Her throat seemed to close, cutting off her oxygen. Her vision split and pulsed through half-lidded eyes, lagging the ghosts of images around her. She swallowed hard, cold sweat dripping down her face. Her mind began to race. Tears soaked her cheeks as the voices grew louder and more impatient. They cut in and out in a dizzying static distortion. The guards could be heard at the door now, pounding and shouting as they tried to find the right key to open the door. She wanted to, no, needed to get that box! The voices were even louder now. She was gritting her teeth against them.

“I know! I know!” She screamed, though she couldn’t hear herself. The voices were so loud, making her shake as tears streamed down her face. She had to get that box!

Suddenly, the room seemed to fall behind her as the glass finally began to lift. Her whole being seemed to fixate on the box. She could no longer see or hear anything around her. Only the voices ringing and reverberating inside her head.

The princess shook from uncontrollable panic as she seized the box in her now clammy hands. It was cold to the touch, making her shiver and seemed to pulsate as if it were alive.

The door burst open, and the guards rushed her, appearing to move in slow motion. Their ghosted movements trailed behind them in a warped blur as they scrambled towards the girl. She could vaguely hear shouting, but it sounded as if it were underwater; garbled and nonsensical.

The princess turned and stared at them blankly, her eyes glazed over as if her consciousness was far away. Her hand moved towards the lid, then she waivered for a moment, her hand hovering mere millimeters above the lacquered wood. She slowly released the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding and without another opposing thought, she opened the box.

Darkness exploded from the box, slamming the guards against the walls. The suffocating chaos thrashed around the room in a violent, destructive vortex, ripping tapestries from the walls, shredding books, scrolls, and blasting through a marble pillar like a cannon through parchment. The darkness gathered in a thin, tight whirlwind, spanning up to the high ceiling before barreling into its new vessel: the girl.

Her body went rigid as she was lifted into the air, the vortex fusing to her flesh, sinew, and soul. A horrible, twisted scream tore through her throat, piercing through the room and causing the rousing soldiers to recoil and cover their ears in pain. The last of the surging evil entered her mouth and all was still. The soldiers warily rose to their feet before a cataclysmic blast of pure evil erupted from the young princess. She screamed as the raw power released itself into the world, throwing the soldiers back onto the floor in the process.

The girl collapsed onto the floor. The indescribable power too much for her small body to control. She wrestled and seized on the ground as she felt intense pressure in her head and chest.

The guards took this opportunity to finally get ahold of the princess, clasping her hands in thick, iron manacles.

The girl fought against them, but the other guards rushed in to help, barely managing to subdue her enough to be dragged out of the room.

The doors to the throne room burst open startling the Tsar, Tsarina, and the young prince.

“What is the meaning of this!?” The Tsar cried upon seeing his only daughter, bound, and thrashing wildly.

“Your majesty,” the captain of the guard spoke, “The princess broke into the security bay and unleashed Chaos.”

The royal family stared in absolute horror at the princess as she continued to wraith and jerk, guttural, inhuman growling emitting from her small frame. Black foam trickled from her lips and splattered on the polished marble floors before she screamed like a wild animal, momentarily deafening those present and causing the windows to shatter.

The Tsar gazed at the wreckage; his face expressionless. He took a steadying breath and rose from the throne. “Legislation is clear at this point. Take her to Tyur’ma.”

The Tsarina gasped, leaping to her feet, “The prison planet? But she’s our daughter! Can’t we do something? Reverse whatever the darkness has done to her?”

The girl seized and snarled, trying to shake the guards off her and escape.

The Tsar watched, his face breaking into a solemn frown. “I’m afraid not, my dear.” He gently took his wife’s hands in his before continuing. “Chaos was sealed away many millennia ago by the Ancients, who possessed powerful magicks to prevent evil from entering our world. This knowledge has long since been lost to us and no longer exists in this, or any other realm. The Chaos, once released, chooses a vessel and melds with it; the Chaos becoming its vessel and the vessel becoming Chaos. Our daughter is now the embodiment of Chaos. There is no way to reverse what has been done.”

The Tsarina clutched onto her husband’s robes and sobbed loudly, burying her face into his chest.

She felt someone grab her sleeve and looked up to see the prince looking scared, his face pale. She enveloped him in a desperate embrace, trying to collect herself, if only for the sake of her son.

“Mo-mother.”

The Tsarina froze and turned to face what was left of her beloved daughter. The voice was thick and distorted.

“Help me.” The princess pleaded, though her voice seemed nearly void of emotion.

“Darling?” The Tsarina released her son and made a few hesitant steps towards the guards. “Darling, is that you?”

The child suddenly snarled and lunged towards the Tsarina only to be stopped by the guards' hold on her.

“Father! Mother!” She shrieked before her head jerked itself back. The princess growled and more inky foam emitted from her clenched teeth. Her voice was just as distorted as before. She suddenly thrashed her head to the side before gazing up at her parents, brown eyes pleading.

“No! Don’t let it take me!”

She screamed in pain as her eyes turned red and she fought against the manacles, reopening her cuts in the process.

“N-no!” She screeched; her eyes brown once more. “Help me! Help me!”

The Tsarina began wailing as she watched her daughter attempt to fight the unadulterated evil taking hold of her.

The child growled and screeched, red blurring her vision.

The Tsar held his wife and son close to him as tears streamed down their faces. They had never seen something so horrible in all their lives.

The princess went still for a moment, the voices in her head were deafening. Her breath was ragged from fighting against her restraints. She slowly raised her gaze and eyed her family through her short, brown hair.

Her relaxed state was short-lived as she suddenly jerked away from the guards and lunged for the royal family, snarling furiously, the black spittle staining her family’s clothing.

As suddenly as she leaped, the guards retained their hold on her and dragged her back towards the door.

“Brother!” The princess shouted, her fear-filled brown eyes meeting her only sibling.

The prince was paralyzed with terror as his sister twitched and jerked, losing her fight against the darkness within her; that was her.

“Brother, help me!” She cried, her cheeks tear-stained and red. “HELP ME!”

Many years had passed since that horrific day when the princess had been taken away. Dream Pirates now traversed the stars to devour the good dreams of children, leaving them frightened. Fearlings and Nightmare Men ran rampant.

It was the job of the Lord High General, Kozmotis Pitchiner, and his army to roam the planets and stars, to capture these embodiments of evil. Once they had all been captured and imprisoned all the darkness, Kozmotis volunteered to guard the only entrance to the prison planet.

He kept vigil for years, until one day when he heard what sounded like the voice of his daughter, who had been missing for many years, from inside the prison. Frantic, he opened the doors to release her, but was instead possessed by thousands of Fearlings, transforming him into Pitch, the Nightmare King.

The young princess emerged from the prison after Pitch left. She was filled with rage from her family tossing her aside and trapping her for so many years in the dark instead of helping her when she needed it most. She desired revenge; craved it. She traversed back to Lunanoff, found her box, and finally, having gained control of the power that flowed through her, proceeded to slaughter the citizens, and destroy everything around her. She laughed maniacally as fresh blood soaked into her dress, but still she required more.

The girl tracked down the fleeing royal family and slaughtered the Tsar and Tsarina but was unable to find the young prince. Eventually the princess vanished, not to be seen or heard from for many millennia.

Jack stood in the snow stunned by what Manny had just shown him as the shadows receded. He couldn’t fathom all the hate and malicious fury that chilled him to the bone. Jack knew now what he needed to do, what he had to do. He had to stop Pandora before she destroyed everything. He trailed his eyes back to the moon and let out a hefty breath and ran.

Pandora stirred her tea listlessly, not pleased with the memories that suddenly bombarded her. Her gaze shifted over to Pitch who was pacing back and forth, anxious to move their plan ahead. The girl sighed, catching Pitch’s attention who turned to raise an eyebrow at her.

Pandora snorted dryly, “Heh, look at us. Corrupted by our mistakes. I, from opening a simple box and releasing evil into the world. You, for opening the prison door and allowing the nightmares to consume you.”

She took a sip from her now cold tea and Pitch never bothered to reply.

Chapter Text

When the Stars Speak, Listen

North leaned his forearm against the fireplace mantle, staring despondently into the flames. His bulky frame seemed to curl into itself, making the bear of a man seem small, weak, and utterly defeated. He took a deep shuddering breath in an attempt to stay the tears that threatened to fall. As the flames crackled and sparked North sighed silently, praying for a miracle.

Toothiana sat on the couch behind him, cast in his shadow, with little Bunnymund on her lap and her cup of hot chocolate left cold and forgotten. She watched North quietly before rubbing her tired, puffy eyes and returning to idly stroking her fluffy companion’s head.

Bunny frowned; ears flat against his head as he attempted to glean what comfort he could from his friend’s touch. He clenched his eyes tightly, trying desperately to bottle up his sorrow.

Polaris sat on the lone leather chair, her knees pulled tightly to her chest and her face hidden from the others behind a curtain of listless, platinum hair. She took shallow, gasping breaths as she tried to stop the tears that stung her eyes. She had never known that someone could hurt this much and still be living. Her heart felt as if it had been ripped in two and every muscle in her body ached painfully.

The images of Jack’s betrayal played in an endless repeat in her mind and Polaris was cursed to watch her dear Sandy die again and again, the light fading from his eyes before he disappeared forever.

No matter how hard Polaris tried, she could not rid herself of the bitter anger she held for Jack in that moment. She thought back to every desperate attempt the Guardians had made to help Jack, to set him on the right path. She thought about how every time he had scoffed in their faces and refused to believe what they had told him about Pitch. It made Polaris furious to think that she had been stupid enough to trust Jack so whole-heartedly just because Manny had trusted him and had even chosen him as a Guardian. No Guardian would do such horrible things.

Even though Polaris knew it wasn’t Jack’s intention and that he had been deceived by Pitch every bit as much as they had, it didn’t soothe her in the slightest. Sandy was gone thanks to what had happened, what he had done, and she wasn’t so sure that she could forgive him for what he had been a part of.

A sudden bone-chilling gust of wind startled North, Bunny, and Tooth causing the fire to flicker angrily in protest. North’s eyes widened as he watched the cardboard that had been previously taped over the broken skylight plop to the ground in a soggy mass, accompanied by the cause of its initial destruction.

“Jack?” North asked in confusion.

Polaris’ head immediately shot up.

“What are you doing here?” North inquired skeptically, subtly checking their surroundings for Pitch.

Before Jack could open his mouth to reply something zipped passed his head, severing a few hairs near his cheek, before crashing into the bookcase behind him, nearly obliterating it.

All eyes turned to Polaris, who was now standing, breathing heavily, eyes dark and face red. Rage filled every fiber of her being making her hair whip about her in a violent frenzy, like a thunderous sea.

Without a word Polaris leapt off the ground firing another shooting star directly at Jack’s face. Jack dodged the attack and threw a tattered book in her direction, trying to distract her.

“Jack!” Bunnymund snarled, spittle flying through his teeth as Toothiana tried her best to hold him back. “You lying, sneaking, deceitful, vile, no good-“

Bunny continued to hurl every vulgar insult and curse word he could think of at the sprite, while Polaris shot through the book, turning it into confetti and leapt into the air after Jack.

“Polaris! Hold on! Let me explain!” Jack shouted as he threw up an ice shield, trapping her star.

“No! I don’t want to hear anything you have to say!” Polaris screamed at him.

Jack shot ice at Polaris, throwing her off course and into the chair, knocking it over.

Polaris scrambled to her feet and lunged after him.

“Look, Pitch lied to me.” Jack said, swinging at Polaris’ feet with his staff. She jumped over his attempt to trip her. “And I was desperate enough to believe it.”

Polaris swung her sling at Jack’s face, missing as Jack ducked at the last second.

“He told me that you guys were lying to me, hiding my memories from me.” He paused for a second to catch Polaris’ fist barreling towards him, who retaliated by kicking Jack in the shin.

“Ow!” He yelped, releasing her, and leaping on top of the overturned chair. “Pitch told me he would help me be believed in, help me regain my lost memories.” Jack dove to the side as a shooting star exploded into the mantle column, taking a sizable chunk with it. He rolled to his feet, before continuing his discourse.

“Pitch told me The Guardians were keeping my memories from me, purposely leaving me in the dark so they had control.”

“Jack…” North whispered in shocked disbelief.

Jack smiled sadly at North before leaping up to a high bookcase, avoiding being tackled by Polaris.

“Liar!” She shrieked, picking herself off the ground and turning to glare at him, tears pricking her eyes. “I don’t want to hear any more of your lies!” Polaris released five stars at once, surprising Jack and causing him to hesitate slightly before shielding himself. One star slipped past his barrier, grazing his jaw, before blasting off a chunk of drywall.

“Polaris, please-” Toothiana tried to interject, but was cut off by Polaris sobbing.

“Sandy’s dead because of you!”

Jack leapt from the bookcase as Polaris rushed him. He slammed his staff on the ground spreading ice under his opponent, making her slip and fall, her hair obscuring her vision.

Polaris growled audibly as she tossed her locks back over her head and shot into the air, rebounding off the wall, straight at Jack, who was currently ducked down behind the overturned chair.

Jack swung his staff at her but missed giving Polaris the opening she needed to tackle the sprite. The momentum caused the two to tumble across the ground and to separate. Jack skid to a stop in front of the partially destroyed bookshelf, while Polaris crashed into North, nearly knocking him over.

Jack slowly rose to his feet, the hurt in his eyes evident as Polaris stormed over to him, shoving him roughly.

“How could you?” She snarled, before shoving Jack again.

“How could you?” Polaris shoved him once more before Jack reached out, forcing her arms to her sides.

She struggled against him, scratching at his hands, and slapping him away.

Jack furrowed his brows in annoyance and pulled Polaris into his chest, preventing her from shoving and scratching him.

“How could you?” Polaris sobbed again, pounding her fists frantically against Jack’s chest.

Jack held her tightly to him as fresh tears streamed down her face. She struggled against him, trying to free herself. Jack tightened his grip as she haphazardly slapped his chest.

The sprite slowly moved to sit on his knees, pulling Polaris with him. She gave Jack a final, weakened slap to the chest, before clutching the front of his hoodie, burying her face in the cool fabric, a mournful wail escaping her trembling lips.

A few stray tears slipped down Jack’s face as he stroked Polaris’ shaking frame.

“I’m sorry.” His voice cracked as he spoke just above a whisper. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Polaris cried harder and Jack laid his cheek against the top of her hair, trying his best to soothe her and keep himself together as well.

Bunny had since stopped his verbal assault and The Guardians watched sorrowfully as Polaris wept, her heart breaking all over again.

“I’m so sorry, Polaris.” Jack said again, his voice so quiet that he almost couldn’t hear it himself. He continued to whisper softly to her, caressing her hair.

Hours seemed to pass as Polaris eventually settled down to a quiet sniffle. She trembled in Jack’s arms as the cold from his body finally set in, but the comfort she received overpowered her desire to be warm. Her fingers released their death grip on his hoodie and dropped down limp in her lap. Polaris was exhausted.

“Sorry….” She croaked out as she attempted to smooth out the creases she created. Jack gave a light, listless chuckle and held her hand as he tilted her tear-stained face up to his. He brushed her lingering tears away and gave her a soft smile.

“Crickey, mate! Get a room you two.” Bunnymund interrupted the intimate moment.

Jack recoiled from Polaris as if he had been burned, a look of embarrassment upon his face. Polaris flushed a deep, cherry red and averted her gaze to her lap.

“Bunny!” Toothy squeaked out. North howled with laughter, tears pricking his eyes.

“Well, while you love birds are busy making googily-eyes at each other, we still have a war to fight.” Bunny snorted, “I say, we head down to the Warren, pull out all the stops for Easter, and get those little lights twinkling again.”

“Bunny is right,” North began, “Easter is our best bet. We all need to work together to gain some leverage over Pitch if we are going to make this work.”

“Wait- wait, I’m sorry. All of us? Are you mad? We can’t just trust this derro. You guys are forgetting,” Bunny continued, counting off Jack’s crimes on his tiny paws, "he betrayed us, he teamed up with Pitch, broke into the Pole, broke into the Tooth Palace, helped kidnap the Baby Teeth, stole the teeth canisters, and took part in Sandy’s death. Now he just waltzes in here and you are all willing to forgive and forget just like that?”

There was an awkward pause. Polaris looked anxiously between the sprite and the pooka, waiting for someone to break the silence.

“Bunny-” North began, exasperated, but was quickly cut off by Jack.

“No, he’s right. Look... I know what I did was wrong but believe me when I say I am going to do everything in my power to help set things right; to help the children believe in you guys again.”

Bunnymund narrowed his eyes slightly and raised his brow in annoyed disbelief.

“Bunny,” Toothiana piped in, looking a little tired, “I can’t fly, North is using his swords as a cane and you’re 12 inches tall. We are weak. At this point we need all the help we can get.”

Bunny snorted angrily but knew when he was beat. He leapt out of her arms, gave Jack a final warning glare and opened a tunnel to the Warren.

“Where are they?” Bunny asked, his anxiety skyrocketing as each minute passed. It was already nearing noon and not a single child was anywhere near the park on this beautiful, warm Easter Sunday. Jack scanned his eyes past the piles of brightly colored eggs and over the lush, grassy field, but there was simply no one there.

“I don’t get it.” Polaris whimpered, wringing her hair anxiously in between her hands. “We have the right date, right?”

“The banner’s right there.” Jack replied, gesturing in the direction of the over-sized banner tied to a volleyball pole and a nearby spruce.

Bunny’s frown deepened. “I just don’t understand. It’s been hours. Why isn’t anyone here?” He was talking more to himself than anyone else. “I mean, sure, we rushed a lot of these eggs, but still…”

“Well, maybe they’re just running late?” North suggested, with an attempt at a smile, though it fell short of comforting.

The Guardians stepped out from their hiding spot in the bushes. The entire group was solemn. Bunnymund made his way over to a nearby egg, gently picked it up, holding it to his chest before plopping into a sitting position, his ears laid back even tighter against his head.

“I just don’t understand…” He said again letting the egg roll off him and back onto the grass, its bright pink shell gleaming in the sunlight.

Jack sat cross-legged next to Bunny, looking out over the field of eggs in companionable silence.

“What do we do now?” Polaris asked, her gaze moving from Jack and Bunny’s backs to Tooth and North.

Tooth tapped her chin thoughtfully. “It’s not over yet. It’s only noon…” her voice trailed off for a moment as she pulled her eyebrows together. “I don’t have the teeth though…”

Jack suddenly spun around. “Wait, what about the teeth?”

Toothy seemed surprised at Jack’s sudden outburst.

“The teeth…” she said slowly, trying to collect her thoughts, “My fairies and I collect the teeth to hold onto and protect the memories inside them. When someone needs to be reminded what’s important, we help them. If I could get the teeth, I could free the memories inside them, but…” she frowned again, “I don’t even know where they are, plus, without my fairies, it would take years. We don’t really have that kind of time.”

Jack leapt to his feet. “I know where the teeth are! I know how to get to them, and the fairies too!” He sputtered, stumbling over his words as he tried to pour them all out at once.

“What? Really!?” Tooth exclaimed, the fire returning to her eyes.

Bunny glanced over his shoulder, eyeing Jack, his countenance defeated, but a glimmer of hope still shimmering.

“Yeah, they’re in Pitch’s caverns. I’ll go now!” Jack said, turning to leave.

“Hold on Jack,” North interrupted, halting the sprite mid-step. “This is Pitch we’re talking about here. It could be dangerous.”

“I’ll be fine.” He assured the Guardian.

North shook his head. “I’d feel far more comfortable if you took someone with you.”

Jack’s gaze dropped to Polaris. “Polaris, what about it? Will you go with me?” He held his hand out for her.

Polaris’ eyes widened in surprise. “M-me?”

“Of course. Who else?” He said with a chuckle.

Polaris swallowed and glanced around her nervously, everyone’s eyes on her, awaiting her answer.

“Well?” Jack asked quietly.

She turned her eyes back to Jack’s expectant face, a slight blush spreading across her cheeks as she took Jack’s outstretched hand.

“Ok.”

The air was frigid in the dark tunnels. Polaris kept her eyes wide open hoping to see any sort of light besides her iridescent hair but could hardly see Jack's figure in front of her. She trailed her fingers against the damp, cool dirt wall to keep herself oriented. Occasionally, she’d bump into Jack who would stop to listen for any sound or movement, then continue.

Unable to see, Polaris tripped over a root and knocked into Jack, causing him to stumble for a moment before catching his balance.

“Ouch! Sorry….” She muttered, embarrassed, her foot now throbbing. She could feel Jack’s hand touch her arm then trail down to her hand, before entwining their fingers together. She stiffened at the sudden contact, a shiver running down her spine.

“Stay close, it’s easy to get lost in here.” Jack stated with a light chuckle, then proceeded to lead her around rocks and protruding roots. Polaris nodded mutely even though Jack wouldn’t be able to see it and chewed on her lip nervously. The pounding in her chest tousled the butterflies in her stomach. She tried her best to focus on the task at hand but was far too concentrated on their interlocked hands.

The darkness faded as the cavern entrance finally appeared around the next bend. Jack released Polaris’ hand as he crept carefully to the doorway and peered around the corner. Polaris frowned slightly at the lack of contact, but waited for Jack to signal her over before they entered the enormous chamber.

“Wow.” Polaris muttered at the sight. Thousands of Baby Teeth sat at the bottom of their cages that were strung high in the air. Below them, an endless sea of golden teeth canisters littered the ground, covering the dirt floor. The sight was strangely beautiful.

Before they began, Jack pulled out a snow globe from his pocket. North had given it to Jack before they had left the North Pole. He shook it lightly, pastel colors swirling inside before forming the Tooth Palace. He tossed the globe, smashing it against a pillar and opening the portal. A warm breeze drifted through, airing the suffocating sent of decaying leaves and damp earth.

Polaris floated up to a nearby cage and tugged on the door; locked. The Baby Teeth stared at her in anticipation and curiosity. She brushed her hair away in frustration and turned to Jack who was working on a cage behind her. Jack touched his hand to the lock, freezing it before he tapped on it with his staff, shattering it. He then easily swung the cage open and began filling his hood and hoodie pocket with the fairies to then lower them to the ground.

Polaris turned back to her own cage and chewed her lip, thinking. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a shooting star before placing it on the lock. It took a moment, but the heat radiating from the core of the star melted the lock enough for her to jerk the door open. She placed it back in the pouch so she could gather the fairies into the top layer of her skirt like a bushel of tiny, feathered apples.

Polaris drifted to the ground before kneeling carefully to release the Baby Teeth. They chattered quietly before dispersing to the canisters. Polaris nodded and gestured to the portal, indicating that they were to take the teeth and escape. She then carried on to the other cages before Jack's voice stopped her.

“What are you doing? Get out of here!” Jack hissed in a frantic whisper. Polaris turned to see that the Baby Teeth hadn’t made it to the portal yet but were instead touching each of the teeth canisters and opening the memories confined inside.

“You can do that later! Come on, you need to get them out of here first.” He tried again.

The fairies shook their heads with exasperated looks on their faces and continued touching the memory boxes. Jack watched what they were doing intensely.

Brief memories opened, each was faded, distorted, and others still contained bad memories. Parents yelling at their children, receiving coal for Christmas, being alone on birthdays, and other such bad memories. Those faded memories slowly grew brighter and more colorful, changing into happy memories full of love and hope. Children discovering that shiny quarter under their pillows after they had slept on their lost baby teeth, parents surprising their kids with a new pet or toy and wishes that came true.

Jack turned his confused gaze to the globe as lights slowly started to fizzle back to life, then back to the teeth once more.

“The memories were altered?” he asked breathlessly as the realization hit him hard. Baby Tooth nodded once to confirm Jack's observation. “You’re retrieving the real memories….” Jack muttered, this time as a statement, but Baby Tooth nodded once more anyway.

Suddenly, a deafening clang caught everyone's attention. The group ducked down behind a mound of teeth canisters and peered through the dimness of the adjacent hallway. Polaris’ breath hitched at the sight. A massive shadow-like creature with enormous claws slowly made its' way through the hallway to a different opening that led to who-knows-where, its' footsteps completely soundless. The creature suddenly stiffened with a grunt and its' head shot in their direction, meticulously scanning over the mounds of teeth.

Polaris felt her heart beat thunderously inside her chest and a cold sweat trickle down her face as the shadow creature, satisfied with his observations, continued forward, and disappeared into the tunnel.

Polaris hadn’t realized she had been trembling until long after the creature left. She turned, wide-eyed, to Jack and stumbled on her words, “W-what was that?”

“Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

They brushed off their nerves and continued releasing the baby teeth. Once done with that task, Polaris and Jack began helping the Baby Teeth take any memory holders that they were done with into the portal. They stacked them into a pile at the Tooth Palace to deal with later. Jack looked back at the Baby Teeth who were now able to move more quickly. The magic was slowly kicking in, giving them enough energy to fly. It would take hours to finish moving the teeth and fixing the memories, but they were determined.

Jack and Polaris worked in a steady, harmonious rhythm; moving quickly and quietly. The whole thing was going easily enough.

Too easily.

Polaris’ limbs ached from the repetitive movements, but she pushed on, occasionally stumbling over her own feet. As she bent to pick up another golden canister, she suddenly perked up and closed her eyes, listening intently; her lips moving to silent words.

"Polaris?" Jack carefully approached the stilled girl and hesitantly touched her shoulder. He jumped slightly as her eyes immediately snapped open, peering into his. A look of urgency and panic etched on her face.

“We need to go. Now!” Polaris stated with such conviction that Jack took a moment to process her words.

“Wait, what? What do you mean? We still have work to do.” He walked quickly to keep up with Polaris' long strides to the tunnel they had entered from. She stopped abruptly and faced him again; her hair swaying around her from the fast movements.

“My stars have been silent, but now, there is so much turbulence. The Pole is in trouble, we need to head back.” Without another word, they hurried through the tunnel.

Chapter Text

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Without a moment's hesitation Jack and Polaris jumped through the skylight into a raging warzone. Jack had barely touched the floor before being slammed into the wall by a passing Nightmare.

"Jack!" Polaris shrieked as she attempted to forge her way to him, but only had a split second to dive out of the way of a toppling bookshelf with a terrified gasp.

"Jack! Polaris!" Toothiana's face melted into a split second of relief before smacking a Mare in the jaw with a broken table leg. "Thank God you're here!"

"Nice to see you again, Jack Frost." Pitch chuckled darkly; a venomous smile spread across his face as his eyes met Polaris'. She shuddered, suddenly feeling cold. "and I see you brought your little girlfriend to help."

Before he had a chance to reply, Pitch raised up his arms, creating a tidal wave of inky, black sand and releasing the floodgate of Mares after them.

Jack leapt into the air, flipping onto a crossbeam before blasting the creatures with ice.

Small explosions of light shot across the room as Polaris leapt into the fray. Her aim was precise and deadly as several Mares collapsed into grainy heaps on the floor.

North sliced through another Mare and ducked a shooting star that zipped passed his head. He leaned against a scimitar, stopping momentarily to catch his breath, his arms shaking and weak. A Mare sped up to him, smashing into his chest. He slammed into the wall, before the Mare erupted into a veil of sand thanks to Polaris' sharp shooting.

The red-clad man gingerly moved away from the wall clutching his shoulder, which took the brunt of the impact, and skillfully launched a chair at a small horde of Mares, crushing several of them. The remainder turned on him, one grazing his forehead with its hoof, slicing into the ashen flesh.

"Where's Bunny?" Polaris shouted over the commotion, decking a Mare in the face, and dodging a scrambling Yeti.

"Running in terror!" Came the panicked reply as Bunnymund darted out from his hiding place towards her, half a dozen Nightmares hot on his tiny tail.

Polaris took a running start and dove at Bunny, snatching him off the floor and tumbling into the couch.

"Thanks, I-LOOK OUT!" Bunny yelled. Polaris and Bunny split apart just as a Nightmare slammed into the spot they had once been occupying, obliterating the creature, and breaking the couch, causing it to sag ominously.

Tooth zipped about in short spurts, sputtering like a plane out of control. She crash-landed into a Mare, getting bucked like a rodeo clown and thrown off right into Polaris, knocking both to the ground with a hard smack.

"You ok, Toothy?" North asked slicing through another Mare before turning to give his friend a concerned look.

"Yes, I'm fine." Tooth replied quickly before rolling to her feet. Several Mares charged her. Toothiana smashed one in the face but was knocked back by the next and whipped in the face by its' tail.

Her cheek stung. She reached up to touch it when the Mares reared up to attack once more. Tooth dove out of the way, hurling the dropped table leg behind her, smacking two of them as she did so.

Jack thrust his staff at Pitch's face, who dodged the attack easily and retaliated by bursting black sandstone spikes through the floor at his opponent. Jack shot through the air, the spikes at his heels before coming full circle and kicking Pitch in the face.

Pitch stumbled, nearly falling onto his own spikes. He retracted them with a swish of his hand and shot arrows in the sprite's direction.

Jack threw up an ice shield, catching a few arrows, before rolling across the floor, blasting ice at his foe, and diving to avoid the rest of Pitch's airborne assault.

A shooting star zipped past Jack's face, destroying a Mare directly behind him. He caught Polaris' eye, nodding in appreciation before bounding off the wall and launching himself at Pitch. He caught the villain by the waist with the crook of his staff and knocked him to the debris-covered floor.

Pitch kicked the sprite in the chest, catching him off guard before throwing sand in his eyes.

Jack yelped in pain. He clenched his eyes tightly trying to get the sand out of them before something hard slammed into him sending him crashing into a bookcase.

"Jack! No!" Tooth screamed in terror.

Jack turned to look in her direction, but suddenly found himself rolling across the floor as a thunderous crash shook the room.

The bookcase had toppled to the ground, smashing a few Mares in the process. Jack's eyes widened in horror. It was clear to him that that very easily could have been him and no amount of Manny's interference would have brought him back from that.

Jack turned to his other side and was shocked to see Bunnymund pick himself off the floor and brush himself off with his tiny paws.

"You saved my life." Jack muttered in disbelief.

Bunny caught Jack's gaze and gave him a smug smirk.

"Don't get used to it." He said with an annoyed snort, though the look on his face said he was clearly teasing the sprite.

Jack shot the pooka a small smile before picking himself up as well and heading back into the chaos.

Polaris rolled to avoid getting her head smashed in and scrambled to her feet. The Mares circled her like a pack of starving wolves. The girl swallowed nervously, turning every which way to try to avoid a surprise attack. She fiddled with the stars she held deftly in between her fingers before spinning wildly, releasing the balls of light like shimmering bullets.

The Mares dissipated at her feet and once Polaris stopped spinning, she was immediately thrown off balance. She hobbled around for a moment as she attempted to regain her equilibrium.

Toothiana spun into the air, slicing the nearby Mares with her razor-edged wings, landing gently as the black sand sifted around her feet.

She could feel her old strength slowly returning as she sped around the room, decimating the Mares in a mad fury.

North swung his scimitars through the air, executing another Mare. Blood trickled into his eye from the gash on his forehead. He wiped it on his arm along with the beads of sweat from his brow before dodging a kick to the face, the hoof grazing his beard.

North gritted his teeth and chased after the Mare, recognizing it as Onyx, Pitch's second in command. The Mare darted behind a pillar, millimeters away from destruction. Instead of its face, North's scimitar embedded into the stone pillar, proving difficult to remove.

Bunnymund flung himself off the last standing bookcase directly at the Nightmare nearest him. He yanked on its mane and kicked it viciously in the head. The Mare bucked angrily, throwing the pooka high into the air. Bunny felt himself reach the peak of his ascent and begin falling towards the swirling, black mass of Mares below.

The Mares stomped and snorted eagerly as Bunny tumbled towards them. One Mare reared on her hind legs, Bunny only inches away from her snout when something grabbed the scruff of his neck and yanked him out of harm's way just as the Mare snapped down on what would have been his legs.

"Jack?" Bunnymund gasped out in relief.

"Don’t get used to it." The sprite smirked in response before tossing his fluffy companion onto the partially destroyed couch.

Jack landed on his feet, sand pooling around him as all the Nightmares nearest him immediately turned towards him; stalking towards him like a predator closing in on its’ prey.

Jack backed up a few paces to assess his situation when he felt himself bump into something solid.

“Made some friends I see.” North chuckled, bracing himself to join Jack’s advance.

The Mares glanced at each other nervously for a moment before the duo charged, leaving eruptions of sand in their wake.

"What happened in the tunnels?" North asked casually as he leapt into the air, spinning, and slicing into Mares like a deadly, red vortex.

The memory of the Baby Teeth washed over Jack, leaving him dizzy for a moment and allowing a Nightmare to land her attack, hitting Jack in the jaw.

He collided with a pillar before rebounding and decimating the Mare in question.

“The memories in the teeth had been altered.”

North froze for a moment, his breath hitched in his throat, before regaining his senses and slashing through another Mare’s neck. His eyes seemed a little distant as he mulled this latest information over in his mind.

“That certainly explains a lot.” He replied, scratching his beard, his eyes dark with bitterness.

Jack dodged a line of sandstone spikes plowing their way towards him before an ear-splitting scream pierced the room.

Jack threw his hands over his ears and clenched his eyes shut tightly, trying in vain to block out the horrible screech. His teeth grit together as the windows exploded, showering glass over everything.

The sprite gingerly opened one eye, glancing around the room to find the noise source. He caught eye with Polaris who looked confused and terrified as she pressed her hands a little tighter over her ears.

As suddenly as it came the scream cut off, leaving the Guardians looking bewildered. A bone-chilling disembodied chuckle echoed around them before the cloaked figure finally emerged from the shadows.

“Pandora!” Jack snarled, his eyes ablaze with fury.

Pandora smirked mirthlessly. “My, my, how pathetic you all look.”

The Guardians looked warily between Jack and Pandora, unsure of how to proceed.

Her cold gaze passed from one Guardian to the next, sending shivers up Toothiana’s spine, causing her feathers to ruffle and stand on end.

“I can’t believe this is the group of bumbling morons my brother picked to protect the children of Earth.” Her eyes narrowed into slits, giving her a demonic appearance. Wraith appeared beside her as silently as death itself.

“You know, for people specifically meant to protect the children of the world, you’re really not very good at it.”

She snapped her fingers together and Wraith shifted to reach one long, clawed hand into his chest. He pulled it out along with a pink clad child.

“Oh my God!” Bunny gasped as Toothiana brought her hands up to her mouth to stifle her own shocked cry.

“Cupcake!” Jack hissed, remembering her from the snowball fight only a few days ago. He moved to advance, his staff at the ready, but was immediately held back by a strong hand on his shoulder. He turned to look over his shoulder at North who narrowed his eyes menacingly at this new intruder.

“Pandora, was it?” North inquired, his voice deceptively steady. “What do you want?”

Pandora turned her red-eyed stare to him, her smile dropping in an instant.

“Revenge.” she said quietly. “Manny stayed silent and sentenced me to an eternity of suffering. To repay him, I am going to silence all of you, one by one, and extend to him the same courtesy he gave to me.”

With another snap of her fingers Wraith instantly hurled the girl in his arms at North before disappearing into the shadows. With that the onslaught began once more and the Nightmares began charging.

Wraith reappeared inches from Jack’s face. Startled, Jack missed his window of opportunity and Wraith disappeared again, mocking him.

“Phil!” North commanded, addressing a Yeti near him, “Take the child out of here!”

“Nyenyedlyenno!” Phil replied, taking the child, and slipping through the fray.

Polaris was already at work, perched high above the chaos like a sniper, firing carefully aimed shots into the throng, eliminating enemies one by one. A sudden blow to the ribs knocked Polaris into a neighboring joist with a loud smack. The impact knocked the wind out of her, bringing tears to her eyes. Despite her desperate clamoring for purchase, she slipped off the beam and began falling towards the ground.

North blocked Wraith’s attack, using his scimitars to knock the creature backwards. A Mare knocked into North, causing him to lose sight of Wraith. He looked around desperately but shouted in frustration as the creature managed to escape him.

“North!” a panicked voice shrieked from above him.

He turned just in time to catch Polaris in his muscular arms.

“Nice catch.” Polaris said in way of thanks.

“Happy to help.” North said with a twinkle in his eye.

Jack stepped back as the Mare in front of him disintegrated into a pile on the floor. He rested his hands on his knees for a moment to catch his breath. Sweat drenched his hoodie and matted his hair to his head.

A shadow rose on the wall behind him. Wraith stepped forward, catching Jack off guard. The creature swung its sinewy arm at Jack, hitting him on the side and throwing the sprite into the mantle.

Jack felt a searing pain pulse through his body as Wraith moved towards him. Wraith raised his clawed hand to strike again before suddenly jolting out of the way. Two boomerangs flew millimeters from his head before turning back behind him.

Wraith’s eyes locked on a very large, angry Bunnymund.

“Oh, no you don’t!” The pooka snarled, letting his weapons fly once more. Wraith disappeared into the shadows and the attack missed its mark making Bunny curse in frustration.

Polaris rose on her arms after diving away from Pitch’s sandstone spikes. She wiped her face with her arm, leaving dirty, black streaks behind.

“Aren’t you a feisty one.” Pitch cooed patronizingly before shooting arrows in her direction. Polaris rolled to her feet, the arrows landing where she had been only a fraction of a second before. She quickly sidestepped to put the pillar between Pitch and herself. She took a deep breath before gripping her sling tightly and leaping out from behind the pillar.

She fired a shot, grazing Pitch’s cheek before he had a chance to react to her reappearance. The Nightmare King retaliated by firing an arrow at her face.

Polaris shrieked and dove out of the way, crashing into Bunnymund’s back.

Bunny whirled around; boomerangs raised to fight before his gaze fell on Polaris. His face softened a fraction before his eyes flickered briefly just over her shoulder.

He seized Polaris by the shoulders and threw her to the side just as an arrow clipped his shoulder. Bunny threw one of his boomerangs at Pitch and clutched his shoulder painfully.

Pandora’s eyes glowed with barely contained fury.

“I’m getting pretty tired of you Guardian filth.” She hissed. “Wraith!”

Wraith instantly emerged from the shadows, knocking Bunny into the wall.

“Bunny!” Polaris screamed.

Wraith turned his attention to her. Polaris tried to scramble out of his way, but he grabbed her by the hair, picking her up by the platinum locks.

North swung his scimitars at the creature.

“Let her go, you-“

Wraith swung Polaris at North before he could finish his onslaught of angry, Russian insults, hitting him in the jaw with Polaris herself. They both fell painfully to the ground in an uncoordinated heap.

An angry static sound crackled through the room as ice burst through Jack’s staff, slamming Wraith to the ground.

The creature disappeared before emerging behind Jack. The sprite spun around to attack, but Wraith caught the staff in his large claws. The two began to grapple as ice sporadically burst around them.

Toothiana flew out of the way as Pitch launched arrows at her. She sped faster, looping around the room before diving at him. The two rolled on the floor before Tooth managed to pin the Nightmare King down.

“This is for my fairies!” She yelled, punching him in the face as hard as she could, knocking out one of his teeth in the process.

Pitch returned her attack, knocking her off him and onto the floor with a pain-filled shriek.

Polaris pulled herself up, her sights locked on Pandora as she watched her through a veil of hair.

Enough was enough.

Pandora watched Wraith slam Jack against the wall with unhindered glee. The creature raised his massive arm to attack Jack once more, when Pandora was violently tackled from behind.

A whirl of hair momentarily obscured her vision as Polaris slapped Pandora across the face.

“You vile, manipulative psychopath!” Polaris yelled as she swung her fist towards Pandora’s face.

Pandora seized Polaris’ wrist, gripping painfully to stop her attack.

A sinister, malicious smile slowly crept across Pandora’s face.

“And so, it begins.” she said with a skin-crawling chuckle.

Polaris was suddenly thrown off Pandora with a powerful, invisible force. She hit her back against the desk. Her hands slapped loudly on the floor, preventing her face from cushioning her fall.

Polaris’ gaze shot back up to Pandora’s, but her eyes showed the fear that made her stomach lurch.

“You think you have a chance against me?” Pandora snarled, her smile never faltering.

Polaris rose slowly to her feet, a shiver running through her as Pandora’s inhuman eyes met hers.

“You are nothing.” Pandora continued, stalking towards her assailant. “A pitiful waste of time, space and existence.”

Polaris bit her lip to stop it from trembling, though that did little to hinder the tears stinging her eyes. She narrowed her eyes at Pandora and fired a quick shot at her chest.

Pandora dove out of the way, bolted to her feet, and slammed into Polaris, throwing them both across the desk and onto the floor.

Pandora scratched Polaris’ cheek, drawing blood. Polaris retaliated by swinging her leg up to knock the girl off balance and pin her on the ground.

Pandora, however, was far stronger than she looked thanks to the powers that had been sealed inside the box. She elbowed Polaris in the face and rolled over for a better vantage point.

She grabbed Polaris’ face painfully in her hands and slammed her head against hers.

Polaris felt her head pulse with pain as her eyes glazed over for a second. In a desperate attempt to regain the upper hand, she grabbed her pouch of shooting stars from her hip and crashed it into Pandora’s cheek, cracking the bone.

Pandora yelped in surprise as Polaris threw all her strength into rolling them across the floor, trying desperately to pin her foe down, glass from the windows crunching beneath them as they moved, slicing into any exposed flesh, and tearing clothes.

As Polaris finally managed to pin Pandora down, a burst of warm, golden light flooded the study. A vortex of Dreamsand illuminated the center of the room, sucking the Nightmare sand into it and purifying it back to its original state.

Polaris felt her heart leap in her chest as the vortex exploded, revealing an incredibly pleased and very alive-looking Sandy.

“Sandy!” Polaris sobbed, tears spilling freely down her face. She wept openly, an exhilarated smile across her face.

Sandy locked eyes with her and shot a cheeky wink in her direction, clearly delighted to be back.

Pitch looked absolutely horrified as Sandy advanced on him and began a formidable assault.

A sudden blow to the side knocked Polaris to the ground and out of her reverie. Pandora had summoned a mostly broken chair and crashed it into her opponent.

She kneed Polaris in the chest and jumped on her, aiming her elbow for the throat.

Polaris rolled, causing Pandora’s elbow to miss its target and connect with the ground instead. Pandora threw her fist, connecting it with Polaris’ scratched cheek before grabbing a fistful of gold hair.

“Pathetic piece of human filth!” Pandora shrieked, her voice cracking with rage. “You don’t stand a chance against me!”

She yanked Polaris’ head down, slamming it against the ground.

Polaris clawed frantically at her captor’s hand to free herself, but Pandora’s grip was too tight.

“You’re really starting to irritate me.” Pandora’s voice was dangerously low, a tic jumped under her eye.

Polaris felt her pulse speed up and her eyes widen as Pandora’s hands wrapped around her throat. She jerked her legs up, trying to knock her assailant off balance.

Pandora squeezed tighter, cutting off the choking noises.

Polaris could see her vision growing increasingly narrow. She had to think fast. Without a moment’s hesitation, she dug her thumb into Pandora’s eye.

The girl screamed in agony, releasing Polaris, and clutching her eye as blood trickled through her fingers.

“You wretched, vile girl!” She screamed, cursing loudly. Polaris moved to escape, but Pandora seized her by the hair once more. She slapped her across the face with her now bloody hand, leaving a sticky, red smudge. Pandora, enraged and scrambling for leverage, frantically clawed at the ground before raising a large shard of glass clenched tightly in her fist.

Polaris felt her stomach drop as she struggled to get away. Pandora’s eyes were so dilated in fury they looked like staring into the eyes of the devil himself.

A sudden, white-hot pain burst through Polaris’ chest as the glass tore at her flesh, plunging deep into her ribcage.

She screamed as the pain jolted through her like an electrical surge. Somewhere through her screams she could hear Pandora cackling maniacally. The world seemed to deafen as Pandora leaned close to her face.

“Piece of human filth.” She repeated, before ripping the shard from Polaris’ chest, eliciting another pain-filled cry from her victim. Pandora slowly rose to her feet, tossing the makeshift dagger to the side. She spat viciously on Polaris’ face and smiled before stalking away.

Polaris started shaking uncontrollably, the pain unbearable as she lay there gasping for breath.

Her hands found the wound in her chest, blood frothing through and the stain quickly spreading.

She coughed, blood flecking her lips as her heartbeat began to quicken and a cold sweat dripped down her face. All her worst nightmares were coming true. She was going to die here, scared and alone.

Wraith tossed Toothiana into Jack, knocking them to the ground. Jack rolled to his feet and swept his staff out viciously, tearing into the living shadow with large spikes of solid ice. Bunny joined in as Tooth righted herself and resumed the attack.

Sandy yanked hard on his Dreamsand whip, slamming Pitch down to the ground with a loud, dull thud, knocking him out cold.

North chuckled, clearly out of breath. “He’s a lot harder to defeat than he looks.”

Sandy smiled, but the smile quickly faltered as he dove into North, the couch whirling over their heads before splitting in a thunderous crash against the pillar.

“I really liked that couch.” North said with a frown.

Pandora was positively seething with rage as she made her way towards the group. Darkness swirled around her in an angry torrent, making her look like some sort of demon.

Sandy narrowed his eyes at this new development. He glanced at his ally from the corner of his eye, a question mark appearing over his head.

North shook his head, indicating there was no time to explain and simply initiated the assault. Sandy followed suit, his Dreamsand whip at the ready.

Sandy paused for a moment to catch his breath. Pitch had been a piece of cake compared to this deranged, psychotic child.

North dove out of the way of the globe she hurled at him. The stone cracked and split on the floor.

“That’s going to take forever to repair.” North grumbled as the surprisingly strong child punched him in the nose, causing it to bleed.

“You-are-definitely-on-Naughty-List!” He rasped out between blocking strikes.

Sandy rolled his shoulders, preparing to back North up, when he froze in his tracks, his heart skipping a beat and his eyes widening in panic.

Where was Polaris?

He peered desperately into the chaos before him.

Jack sat atop Wraith’s shoulders, legs crossed tightly across the creatures’ neck in an attempt to strangle him, while Bunnymund kicked furiously, using his boomerangs like scythes. Toothiana kept the Nightmares at bay by obliterating any that came her way and North used his swords to push Pandora away from him, throwing her off balance, but Polaris was nowhere to be seen.

Sandy felt his pulse quicken as he frantically scanned the trashed room. It took him a minute before he saw a tangle of platinum hair laying listlessly around the corner, under the east window.

Sandy scurried over, his heart dropping into the pit of his stomach at the sight.

Polaris lied on the floor, face ashen and clothes covered in blood, trying desperately to breathe.

Sandy dropped to his knees beside her, lifting her slightly off the floor and pulling her into his chest.

Her eyes were panicked and glassy and there was so much blood.

She coughed, a pitiful raspy sound, before clinging desperately to Sandy’s robes.

“S-sandy!” She gasped out, her voice weak and blood bubbling in her throat.

Pictures flashed speedily above Sandy’s head, his communication panicked and fumbling as if stumbling over his own words.

Polaris sobbed quietly. Her lung burned painfully as it failed to inflate with each wheezing breath she took. The fire in her chest spread as blood rapidly filled her punctured lung.

She suddenly felt something warm and wet land on her face, startling her. She looked into Sandy’s face. Tears streamed uncontrollably down his cheeks, landing on her own.

She sobbed again, burying her face into Sandy’s chest.

“Sandy,” She whimpered, her voice slightly muffled.

Sandy pet her head gently as he found himself completely and utterly desperate.

Please, no.

Polaris shivered, realizing just how cold she was. She looked up at Sandy’s tear-stained face. Her body involuntarily jerked, and she felt tired, so very tired.

“I’m- so- scared-!” She gagged, her breathy, garbled voice barely above a whisper.

Sandy tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. He had never been so terrified in his life. His own death, however brief, had been nothing compared to what coursed through him right now.

Polaris shuddered again as her grasp loosened. Her hand slipped and rested awkwardly against her abdomen. She gasped and coughed harshly; her lungs unable to comply with her brain’s demand for oxygen. Blood trickled down the corner of mouth and into her hair, making the now crimson strands stick to her neck. Her vision began to tunnel and blur as her body suddenly stopped feeling so cold. Her eyelids slid, half-lidded, and she gave one final attempt at a breath before her body went completely still.

Sandy sobbed, clenching his eyes tightly as pain rippled through his entire being. He felt like his chest was going to implode. He could feel his heart break as he pressed his forehead to Polaris, his shoulders shaking as each sob racked his body. He gasped for each breath as all the light in the world seemed to fade away with Polaris’ iridescence.

He rocked back and forth, Polaris still held tightly to him, desperately willing her to come back.

Katherine was sprawled awkwardly across the bed. Her light, even snores calming and reassuring to Ombric’s fried nerves. He smiled ruefully as he closed her door and returned to his workshop to continue his observation.

He paced the floor, watching fervently as the second hand on the grandfather clock ticked closer and closer to the top of the face. Only a few more seconds now.

He held his breath, as he padded over to the furnace and opened the hatch. The flames licked at the steel opening in anticipation.

Ombric released his breath in deep relief as the clock began to chime the hour.

Midnight. Easter was over.

He held Pandora’s box firmly in his leathery hands before tossing it into the flames. He watched with reverence as the box quickly began to char.

It was over.

A painful, ear-splitting wail filled the room. The Guardians shielded their ears from the horrible sound.

Wraith burst into shadow flames, before disappearing, leaving no trace that he had been charging Jack only seconds before.

All eyes once again turned to the source of the screams. Pandora’s skin began to char and crack. Smoke poured out of her mouth just before she burst into flames.

North leaped backwards in terror, crashing into Toothiana as he did so.

Pandora’s screams grew louder as ashes began to flake off her, her eyes wide, but showed only flames, as if they lived inside of her.

The Guardians watched in horror, too stunned to speak, as the fire swirled violently around her, the heat radiating out at the group.

Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the flames went out, killing the screams along with it, leaving only a scorch mark on the floor.

The atmosphere was heavy and the scent of burnt wood lingered in the air as a feeling of relief rippled over the Guardians.

North was the first to break the silence, hollering with tangible glee. Bunny trapped Jack under one arm and rubbed his head in a playful noogie with the other. Toothiana burst into tears of joy and planted tear-soaked kisses on each of the boys’ cheeks.

Jack grabbed Tooth’s hand in his and Bunny’s in the other, forming a circle.

“We did it!” He shouted, pulling the pooka and fairy in a celebratory dance.

“Knock it off, ya gumby.” Bunnymund grumbled, trying to hold in a laugh, but failing as it escaped his lips, causing Tooth to titter animatedly in response.

“We did it!” Jack laughed again, Tooth and Bunny laughing right along with him.

North clapped in rhythm as the trio spun in a circle, chants of ‘we did it’ in a sing song voice filling the room.

Jack finally stopped, laughing heartily as he tried to catch his breath, his head spinning with both elation and from dancing in circles.

“Sandy! Polaris! We-” Jack stopped short when he realized the duo had been missing for the impromptu celebration.

“Polaris?” Jack’s inquiry brought the group back to Earth.

It only took North a moment to catch Sandy’s golden glow emanating from his peripheral. He turned to invite him to join the celebration when his eyes suddenly widened in horrible realization.

“Oh…” North’s voice was quiet, but it was enough to instantly catch everyone’s attention.

The room suddenly seemed far too small. The silence roared in Jack’s ears as his brain attempted to process what his eyes were seeing.

The world seemed to go in slow motion and the air was immediately sucked out of Jack’s lungs.

He hadn’t even realized he had been moving until he dropped to his knees in front of Sandy, Polaris still clutched to the Sandman’s chest.

Tears spilled over Jack’s lashes, leaving small wet marks on his hoodie. His breath hitched in his throat at the sight. Polaris was ashen, her red-tinged parted lips were now a pale blue, and her half-lidded eyes dim and lifeless. Blood covered her chest, hands, and a fair amount of Sandy’s robes.

Jack lifted his gaze to meet Sandy’s teary eyes. The immeasurable pain and loss in those Amber eyes made Jack’s stomach twist tightly in his gut.

A sob suddenly escaped him, and the tears fell faster. Jack gingerly reached out a hand to push the hair out of Polaris’ face. He gently caressed her cheek with his thumb, removing a black smudge as he did so.

He inhaled a small, shaky sob as North sat next to Sandy, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Toothiana stood off to the side sobbing inconsolably, while Bunny held her awkwardly, her tears soaking his fur.

The yetis watched solemnly from a distance, even the elves were uncharacteristically morose.

Sandy stroked Polaris’ hair and placed a gentle kiss to the top of his pseudo-sister’s head, before gathering her up on a cloud of golden Dreamsand and guiding her to the door.

The Guardians followed quietly behind him, questions in their eyes, but none of them having the heart to voice them.

Once outside, Sandy walked noiselessly through the snow. Toothiana shivered, more from sorrow than the cold.

Once they reached the top of the hill, Sandy stopped, clearly deciding this was the place to be.

He gently closed Polaris’ eyes before wiping as much of the grit and blood from her face as he could. He gently finger-combed her hair, straightening it as he went, then rearranged her skirts, smoothing out the creases, and finally placed her hands together on the center of her chest.

He stepped back, sniffling quietly as he rejoined the group.

The stars twinkled brighter than usual through the black, cloudless sky. The dim, silvery light gathered into a gentle pool, illuminating Polaris as she slowly faded away, becoming one with the light.

Sandy wiped a tear away before turning his face to the sky; the other Guardians following suit.

It took only a moment for Sandy to see it, and even longer for the others to understand him through his excited babble, but a new star appeared in the sky that night; just as bright and beautiful as she had been in person.