Darkest Before Dawn

Battle

A/N: Whoops, bit late for Christmas. Soooo I guess it's Happy New Year!

I am still trying to convince myself to write more of this. I have one more chapter after this that's fully written, and then after that I can't guarantee further updates. Anywho, enjoy this one! Hope you all enjoyed your Christmases and New Years.

~~::.::~~

The town of Burgess lay below them, the only sound the howl of the wind, covered in a blanket of white. Jack had set off a snowstorm to rage over the town, at the order of Pitch; it would trigger fear in the children, strengthening Pitch and his nightmares, and would also be a beacon to the Guardians. A big, blaring sign screaming "We're here". A signal, beckoning them to their ultimate defeat.

The first visible sign of the Guardian's arrival was the glow of Sandman's dreamsand as it approached. Close behind was North's sleigh, struggling against the strong winds, and was eventually revealed to hold Bunnymund as well as North himself. Pitch and Jack waited as they drew ever closer, unmoving – although Jack occasionally darted from side to side, unable to keep himself still for very long. Pitch, however, on his gathering of black sand, stood completely motionless, a sinister smile on his face and his hands clasped behind his back.

The sleigh landed roughly on the rooftop of a nearby building, and instantly Bunnymund hopped out, for a moment seeming a bit wobbly before looking up at the two hovering figures. Jack gave a bark of laughter at the Pooka's obvious discomfort, and his attempts to cover it. With his acute senses, Bunnymund heard the laugh and his green-eyed glare intensified.

"Why dontcha come down from on high, Frostbite?" he yelled, making the challenge quite obvious. Jack simply grinned and let himself dip and rise on the air currents.

"All in good time, Cottontail!" he called back. Pitch had still not made a move, and Jack knew he had to wait for the signal. Pitch quite obviously had a plan in mind.

Sandman hovered alongside Bunnymund, sand images flashing above his head, but not quite distinguishable enough for Jack to translate. North had by this time also dismounted his sleigh, and the three all looked upwards. It was like everyone was waiting for something, and finally Pitch broke the silence.

"So, this is what is left of the mighty Guardians." Pitch drawled – he sounded almost bored. "Look at you all, so weak. You don't stand a chance. You know that, don't you? You're afraid you'll fail; that you'll no longer be able to protect the children you claim to love so much. And you're right – you cannot win. Not when I have such power on my side."

"We've beat you before, we can do again." North growled, his stance aggressive and his swords drawn. Pitch laughed.

"But this time I am stronger, and I have an ally. You all know Jack Frost, I presume – though, not well, since you've spend the last few centuries ignoring him." He smirked.

"An' what's so great about having him on your side? He's nothin' but a trouble maker, he only makes a mess." Bunnymund sneered back. Jack huffed, and a sharp gust of freezing air rushed at the Pooka.

"You underestimate him, and that is the worst thing to do; underestimate your enemy. You are only making more and more sure that we will win this fight." Pitch tutted mockingly. Jack squared his shoulders and straightened himself up in reaction to the insinuation that he was more powerful than he seemed.

"We will not let you win, Pitch."

"You are weak, and you are only getting weaker. You've already lost one of your own. Your age is over – it's my turn again." Pitch's tone was suddenly low and deadly. The darkness that had previously been swirling in a cloud beneath him suddenly rose behind him, almost like a tidal wave, and he swung his arm out to reveal a huge battle axe made of black sand. Then, he lunged.

His attack was met by a huge shield of golden sand, before a dreamsand whip was flicked in his direction. Sandman, a determined expression on his face, flew straight towards Pitch, dreamsand whips in his hands. Pitch simply grinned and backed away, drawing Sandman away from his fellow Guardians.

Jack took this as the signal to begin the attack and dived at Bunnymund and North – both were earthbound, and at a significant disadvantage for it. North would be next to useless in this fight – his sleigh would not fly well in the strong winds that were at Jack's command, and the winter sprite had no intentions of getting close enough for him to use his swords. Bunnymund had his boomerangs – and Jack quickly swerved to dodge one that was heading straight for his face – so he was a bit more able, but Jack still didn't think he would be much of a problem.

As Jack dived, he gathered a huge wave of snow with him, and swerved upwards abruptly just above Bunnymund and North, letting the snow crash over them like a wave and bury them up to their knees. While they were slowed down he looped back and blasted them with frost, knocking them off balance, and took back to the skies where he hovered and grinned smugly.

One of Bunnymund's boomerangs flew at him, and while he deftly dodged it, another one appeared in quick succession and he had no time to move fast enough, resulting in the weapon slamming into his shoulder. The Pooka's throw was definitely strong, and as Jack rubbed at his shoulder to numb the pain with his own iciness, he smirked. Jack glared back.

"Here mate, take some of these." Bunnymund threw a handful of eggs over to North. "Throw 'em if he gets close enough."

Jack grinned, trying to think of how he could counter the Guardians' attacks. He was starting to think this would be rather fun. Dodging flying objects while trying to throw his own at his opponents sounded almost like a snowball fight, only he was the only one with the snowballs.

With this in mind, Jack let out a whoop and dived again. Boomerang – dodged. Snowball to the face – thrown, slightly off target. Egg which apparently explodes – almost avoided, hit to the leg. A quick blast of frost and a new blanket of snow - perfectly aimed. Jack swooped agilely, looping and swerving easily as each attack came his way, his flight being his main advantage. He was aware of Pitch and Sandman battling high above them – occasionally there was a stray blast of sand, either golden or black, which needed to be dodged as well as the eggs and boomerangs from North and Bunnymund below. However, he didn't pay much attention, instead focussing on dancing around the earthbound Guardians, having the time of his life as they continued to miss him, until Bunnymund froze and stared upwards, dismay clear in his eyes.

"Sandy!"

Jack paused in his attack to turn and follow Bunnymund's horrified gaze, and saw huge swirls of black and gold – and atop them, Pitch and Sandman. Pitch's features were pulled into a triumphant grin, cruel laughter echoing in the empty night. Sandman was stumbling, clutching at his chest where an arrow of black sand had pierced him. Jack watched with wide eyes as slowly, Pitch's black sand overtook Sandman's, finally engulfing him entirely and dispersing, leaving no trace of the Guardian of Dreams.

"No!"

Jack turned from the sight, ignoring the pang of sadness in his chest – Sandman had been the best of the Guardians to him, allowing him to interrupt the dreams he sent out, and sometimes even keeping him company, letting the winter spirit chatter endlessly to him without any sort of complaint. Sandman was not the Guardian Jack had any grudge against. But, this was Pitch's plan, and there was nothing Jack could do now anyway.

Bunnymund was still staring at where Sandman had disappeared, his mouth hanging open and eyes not entirely focused. Jack took advantage of this opportunity, and blasted the Guardian of Hope full-force in the face with a blast of frost, knocking him off balance and to the floor. While this left an opening, Jack finally touched his feet to the ground for the first time, and simultaneously, in one fluid movement, slammed the bottom of his staff down.

A harsh gust of freezing wind rolled out like a tidal wave, carrying snowflakes that were thrown with such a force they stung. Ice spread out from the tip, encircling Jack in a huge patch of slippery frozen water. North was also knocked down, and both Guardians were thrown into thick snowdrifts that had gathered over the course of the battle.

By now, Jack was tiring. The fighting had been fun for a while, but was quickly becoming tedious. The two remaining Guardians also seemed exhausted; North, already weakened and with no more exploding-egg ammo from Bunnymund, was lying panting in his snowdrift; Bunnymund, with his fur soaked through with melting ice and snow, was shivering badly, and was left with only one boomerang after Jack had snapped one. Jack couldn't tell how much they were actually injured, but he was certain that if they had been weaker before, they were more so now.

Pitch descended down and took up his original position – hovering above the Guardians, looking down on them with his hands folded behind his back and a sneer on his face. Jack quickly leapt off from the ground again to float beside him.

"You see, Guardians? I told you – this is your end. Now there will be no more sweet dreams for children, and soon no more faith in you. No more good memories. No more wonder. No more hope. Only fear, and cold. And you – you cannot do a thing about it. You're powerless." Pitch chuckled. Bunnymund had managed to get himself onto all fours, but he was shaking from the cold, and was carefully trying to help North to his feet. He turned, still defiant even in defeat, and narrowed his eyes at Pitch. "You'll be the ones to fade into the background and watch as every attempt you make to be seen is ignored, brushed off. You'll finally feel the pain of being walked through, of not being seen, of not being believed in, every day. And even better: you'll know, every day, that it was your failure to protect these precious children that caused it."

Bunnymund's ears were flat against his head as he supported North, and his glare had lost some of its potency. Pitch's words, true to form, had hit their targets.

"Now, run along little Guardians," the word was spoken with mocking emphasis "you don't want to be caught up in a snowstorm."

Jack grinned widely, sending a cold blast of air in the Guardians' direction to highlight the warning and chuckling slightly as Bunnymund's shivers increased tenfold. The Pooka helped North to his sleigh, before tapping the ground twice with one huge foot and disappearing into the tunnel that opened up. North took the reins of his reindeer, and took off, heading back towards the Pole. Once they were gone, Jack turned to Pitch.

"And now?" he asked.

"And now," Pitch grinned as tendrils of black sand started seeping in through the windows of the children in the town below. "The fear begins."

~~::.::~~

A/N: Any and all reviews are appreciated so, so much! Thank you very much to all reviews of the last chapter: Midnight of the Grace, Dextra2, chibissima, FadingEcho12193, Madeline a.k.a krunchytuna, Maddie Seth, YasminSnowflakeFaith, and Sora Tayuya! Here's hoping for new inspiration and new updates!