Rise of Mother Nature

Pitch Black

Everyone jumped out of the sleigh to find Tooth flying around frantically looking for any signs of the survival of the teeth or her fairies. “They took my fairies! And the teeth! All of them! Everything is gone! Everything.”

I walked over to her and put my hand on her shoulder, “I’m sorry.”

Baby tooth jumped up from Jack’s hands and flew to Tooth, “Oh thank goodness! One of you is alright.”

A dark, shadowy figure passed over the palace, “I have to say, this is very, very exciting. The Big Four, all in one place. I’m a little start-struck.” Pitch Black aka the Boogeyman appeared on a platform above us. “Did you like my little show on the globe, North? Got you all together, didn’t I?”

Tooth darted toward the shadowy figure, “Pitch, you’ve got thirty seconds to return my fairies!”

“Or what?” he said, “You’ll stick a quarter under my pillow?”

North gripped his swords, “Why are you doing this?”

“Maybe I want what you have,” Pitch answered, “to be believed in.”

I dug my nails into my whip readying to strike if I had to and Pitch continued, “Maybe I’m tired of hiding under beds.”

“Maybe, that’s where you belong,” Bunny said glaring.

Pitch reappeared under the platform we were standing, “Ah, go suck an egg, rabbit!”

I flicked my tail and my ears twitched. Pitch had been around for a long time. I had encountered him a few times before and I hoped he wouldn’t remember me.

“Hang on, is that... Jack Frost?” Pitch laughed darkly, “Since when are you all so chummy?”

“We’re not,” Jack said looking around.

Suddenly, Pitch appeared right in front of me, “Oh, and you brought ‘Mother Nature’ to the party? How sweet.” He lifted my chin and a deep rumble came from my throat. “Isn’t it nice that they thought of you?” Pitches face inched closer to mine, “But, of course they don’t appreciate you, like I once did.”

Everyone looked at me quizzically. No one knew my real position, and now they did.

“Mother Nature?” Jack whispered.

I growled at Pitch and clawed his face with my left hand. He staggered backward and touched the bloody scratches on his face.

Bunny welled up with anger, “Pitch! You shadow sneaking rat-bag! Come here!”

He lunged for the dark shadow but he disappeared and reappeared back on the platform above us. Tooth grabbed one of Bunny’s boomerangs and charged screaming. But before she could even get near Pitch, another one of those Nightmare horses jumped out and protected him. It was a lot larger than the others that captured the fairies. Tooth lowered back down to us.

“Woah! Hey, easy girl. Easy,” the shadow laughed and a swirl of black sand appeared in his palm, “Look familiar, Sandman? Took me while to perfect this little trick. Turning dreams into Nightmares. Oh, don’t be nervous, it only riles them up more. They smell fear you know.”

“What fear?” Bunny yelled, “Of you?! Heh, no one’s been afraid of you since the dark ages!”

I pursed my lips as my ears flattened against my head. My tail twitched and my hair stood on end.

“Oh, the dark ages,” Pitch sighed happily, “Everyone frightened. Miserable. Such happy times for me. Oh, the power I wielded!” Then his tone sounded deeper and full of hatred, “But then the man in the moon chose you to replace my fear with your wonder and light! Lifting their hearts and giving them hope!” Pitch’s fists balled at his sides, “Meanwhile, everyone wrote me off as just a bad dream! ‘Oh, there’s nothing to be afraid of! There’s no such thing as the Boogeyman!’ Well that’s all about to change.”

Behind Pitch, a column began to disintegrate. Almost like it was so old that it couldn’t hold it’s own weight.

“Oh look,” he grinned, “it’s happening already.”

“What is?” Jack asked.

I looked at the ground knowing what was going on, “Children are waking up and realizing the Tooth Fairy never came.”

“I mean,” Pitch shrugged, “such a little thing, but to a child...”

Jack glanced toward Tooth, “What’s going on?”

Tooth stopped hovering and knelt on the ground, “They, they don’t believe in me anymore.”

Pitch laughed, “Didn’t they tell you, Jack? It’s great being a Guardian; but there’s a catch. If enough kids stop believing, everything your friends protect - wonder, hopes and dreams - it all goes away. And little by little, so do they.” He laughed like he was enjoying himself so much, “No Christmas, or Easter, or little fairies that come in the night. There will be nothing. But fear and darkness. And me. It’s your turn not to be believed in!”

I couldn’t take it anymore, and neither could Bunny. He threw his boomerang and I whipped my vine towards Pitch. But before we could reach him, Pitch jumped on the back of the Nightmare and plummeted deep into the Tooth Palace. I dove after him and everyone followed. Bunny threw egg gas bombs and I chucked my throwing knives made of thorns. We both missed and Pitch escaped. I landed at the bottom first, crouching as my tail swished against the ground. My hair was still in a pony tail but I let it down over my face in disappointment.