Jack's Return to Darkness

Chapter 2- Meeting Pitch

North takes off with everyone in the sled heading for Tooth's palace, the closer we get we start things flying towards us, one comes close enough for me to get a look, and it looks like the dark horse from dreams, 'no, this can't be possible', the others are attacking them left and right and I just stand there so deep in thought I don't hear Bunny trying to get my attention, I'm finally snapped back to reality when one the horses knocks me off the sled, and I begin falling. I react on instinct calling my oldest friend to help me, "WIND" she wraps me in an embrace catching me and leading me to the palace and gently placing me on the palace floor just as the others arrive Bunny trying to find out if I'm ok while North checks on Tooth, "Jack mate, are you ok, what the hell happened" I try my best to find the words I'm looking for but the only thing coming to mind are images of the horses and the fear I feel whenever I see them in my dreams and now in reality, "Well, well, can't you just taste that Fear" a voice that seems so familiar to me echo's around the room, before something starts to form in front of us, once it forms my heart stops beating and my fear rises and the world goes silent, the man I saw so often in my dreams, the one who started to come after me before I awoke every night, stands before me, Tall with gold eyes, black hair, but his once black armor is now a black V-neck with black cape and black pants as well shoes, basically he looks like the shadows themselves. And he looks right at me like in my dreams, "you look familiar" I can't find any words and just stand there not hearing or registering the guardians around me, my mind only focusing on the man in front of me until finally he moves and my mind stops working, I stand there for what seem like forever watching the being appear and disappear at random places before he vanishes for good only then do I finally register someone shaking my shoulders. "....ack.....ack....Jack.....Jack looks at me" I finally see who is trying to get my attention, 'Bunny', he looks so worried about me but why. I finally hear the words I've been looking for but my voice comes out so low I think he barely hears me, "I-I know....know who that was...but how..." I feel something embrace me something soft and warm and then I feel something wet and cold run down my face, and finally darkness envelops me.

I don't know how long I've been asleep but when I start to wake I hear multiple voices then I feel the same warm and soft thing as before and cuddle into it more not wanting to leave the warmth it gives, I haven't felt warmth like this since I awoke from the ice 300 years ago, but then I feel something slid around my waist pulling me closer and that's when my eyes finally open and I see I'm cuddled up into Bunny, "AHH" I jump back a little and his lets go of me making me land face first onto the ground groaning, 'ouch', "you ok mate?" I push myself into a sitting position rubbing my now hurting face, "I'll tell you after I feel better" I hear someone laughing a bit looking to see who, it's Bunny, "how long was I asleep like that?" he thinks for a minute, "I'd say maybe 3 hours" I'm pretty such I turned as red as North's sled because laughter increases around me, 'kill me and put me under the ice again,' finally feeling like I didn't break my face I get up and look for my staff, "here you go", Bunny gives me my staff I take it and sit next to him on the couch holding my head from a headache and remember the dream and what happened at the tooth palace. Turns out I'm not the only one thinking about it.

"Jack mate, we have to ask, what happened back there at the tooth palace. You like frozen up, no pun intended, when you see the nightmares and Pitch." ((pun totally intended BTW)). I look around and see everyone wanting an answer, I release a deep sigh, 'might as well, the most they'll do is think I'm nuts', "you want to know what happened ok, but just keep an open mind and don't call me crazy please, I've heard too often before." They all nod and sit around me waiting to hear my story. So I tell them about how after the Moon made me Frost, I started having really odd dreams every time I close my eyes, and then I started talking about how at the tooth palace the horses and man were from my dreams. They all just stare at me, 'they think I'm nuts', "Jack mate, that's..." "yeah I know, trust me. At first I was hoping it was just a coincidence that the same horses from my dream were actually real, but then seeing him, I don't think it's a coincidence anymore" I look down at my staff when I hear North speak up. "Maybe we speak to Manny about your dreams, he might know what's going on" I nod not really registering, everyone gets up and starts walking somewhere and I follow staying near Bunny finding comfort in his fur, 'god I'm pathetic', we reach a room where I can see the moon shining brightly, I've never like bright things, I've always found comfort in the dark. North speaks looking up at the moon, "Manny we have questions of Jack's dreams and what they mean, do you know?" We wait but not long before a bright beam comes into the room and a pedestal rises and images form, a figure of me then Tooth, then a box, and finally the man they call Pitch, the one who haunts my dreams. "Manny what do you mean?" North just as confused as me, suddenly the light leaves and I hear Bunny next to me, "Sandy can you help us out" I watch as symbols and images form above the sandman's head then Bunny speaks up, "Sandy says we need to Tooth to show Jack his memories, but for some reason Manny wants him to see certain things so once we get them back we come here and Manny shows Jack, then we can go after Pitch and take him down, for good." The others nod while I try to figure out what it is Man-In-Moon might not want me to see if he wants me looking at certain things, "Jack, you listening?" "yeah just thinking is all" Bunny nods at me, "Look guys as much I would like to hangout more, I need to head out for a bit" before I can walk away I feel a hand on my shoulder I look and see Bunny, "Where you goin' mate?" I move his hand nicely, "relax, I'm just going for a fly, it's too hot in this building for me, I mean I am the Winter spirit" he simply nods and takes off flying into the cool brisk air, going to my home, the Lake.