Book 1 of Changing Future. After the battle of Easter 2012, the Guardians all retire to the Pole for a party. But, unknownst to the Guardians, two of their own went to confront Pitch, only to find themselves in a tough situation then... somehow back...
“So you’re saying I have to do specific things to let the timeline flow normally?” Jack asked, holding onto his new spear tightly while he allowed his feet to dangle from the side of Sandy’s dream sand cloud as he continued to spread dreams while the shade aided him by wrangling as many fearlings as possible.
“Yes, that is exactly what we must do.” Pitch sighed at the repeated question, having grown tired of the immortal child’s constant questioning.
“Alright, but I don’t have any memories of this life so how can I know what to do?”
“Just do what you must…” the shade grumbled, earning him a ‘tsk tsk’ motion from the Sandman as the short golden man formed an open book out of his sand and a person telling a story.
“You want me to tell him?” Pitch asked, already wanting to drag his hands over his face when Sandy nodded eagerly. “Why don’t you do it?” Sandy only shrugged.
“Because Sandy’s mute, duh?” Jack offered, leaning closer to the shade with a grin, making Pitch roll his eyes with a groan.
“...I liked it when you didn’t speak at all.” Pitch said with a deadpan glare at the boy next to him.
“Hey! That’s uncalled for!” Jack frowned, making Sandy chuckle silently as he continued to spread his dreams.
With another eyeroll, Pitch huffed and decided to lean his arm on his knees while propping up his head looking bored. “...Sandy isn’t mute.” The quiet statement made the astral boy snap his attention to the shade, the inquiry in his eyes yet he did not voice it out loud as he looked between the two dreamweavers.
Trying and failing to hide the small smile of amusement, Pitch opted to not make eye contact with the other two on the cloud. “My memory of the golden age is fragmented, but he could talk your ear off, couldn't you, Sanderson?” to that, Sandy inclined his head as his face lit up with a soft shade of pink from embarrassment while scratching the back of his head and avoiding Jack’s gaze. A reaction that left the immortal boy laughing on his side.
“Really?!” he exclaimed, gasping to catch his breath as he eyed the Sandman. “You can speak?!”
Sandy smiled and chuckled lightly, turning to face the teen to sign. “I choose not to speak because I might wake up the children.” he admitted, his face still as red as before.
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“Even when we’re at the pole?” Jack asked, the laughter not yet completely out of his system. Sandy nodded then stopped to think for a second before shrugging in a ‘I don’t know’ manner, sending the immortal child back into a fit of giggles.
It was then that screams of terror filled the air. Screams of children that caused the two Guardians to instantly go on alert.
"Oh. I had forgotten about that…" Pitch muttered, unphased at all before promptly pushing Jack off of the golden cloud. "Off you go. Save those children in the woods by glowing."
Jack stared at Pitch, wide eyed as he simply levitated in place. "You want me to what?!"
"Save those children from being devoured by the fearlings." Jack blinked once, then twice, then faced the Sandman who shrugged with a worried expression on his face.
Taking a deep breath, the immortal boy turned to face the forest below, trying to tap into the deepest part of himself that made him fly instinctively before. A familiar sensation washed over him as the glow from his body grew brighter by the second and in an instant, he raced forward and down towards the thicket, enjoying the wind fly by and causing his to laugh.
All around him were animals facing off against the shadows, and the longer he flew by them, small bits of memories he never had before returned as if to guide him. Eventually, he reached a small clearing where a group of kids stood huddled together and at their front was a young girl standing brave while the elder children tried to shield the youngest of them.
By instinct, the astral boy rushed in, glowing fiercely, his light scattering in fractals, encompassing the children in a protective bubble of light as he warded away the fearlings. Soon, the light disappeared and so did the boy and the living shadows. All that remained was the light and joyous laughter in the wind as an old wizard and the parents came to collect their children.
It wasn't until the old wizard swept the crowd away and back to the small hidden village did Sandy risk lowering his cloud down to the side of the tree where Jack stayed hidden, his glow now dim, almost nonexistent, making him blend easily into the darkness of the night.
The child stayed silent, his eyes wide yet unfocused and distant. "...I know those kids…" He eventually whispered, looking up to face the dreamweavers. Sandy only smiled weakly at Jack while Pitch kept an eye out for any lingering fearlings.
The astral boy couldn't help but look up to the moon as he took in slow and steading breaths, tears starting to form in his eyes. Seeing this, Sandy gently placed a hand on the immortal child’s shoulder, gaining his attention before forming an image of him flying around a mountain.
Jack smiled and nodded weakly. "Yeah… I'll go clear my head for a bit…" With a hug from Sandy, the boy left, intending to think over his reality and try to figure out just what he was to do.
The shifting of air as the light child left made the shade watch the retreating form, growing smaller as the distance between them grew, leaving him and the Sandman alone once again in reasonably companionable silence.
"And so begins our journey home…"
== And so, their quest now truly begins! lets keep an eye out for our beloved heros then.
Also you can rip away the idea of Pitch, Sandy, and Jack/NL being brothers away from my cold dead hands thank you very much.
