The last part of the story, and then a lot more... So many ideas, so little time.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

He watched as Sandy began to turn black like the Nightmares, and he felt it, his good side, the part that was... human... vanishing. The moment Sandy was gone, another pulse was released and he growled, causing Bunny and Tooth to look at him. Fur appeared across his body, his jaws lengthened into a snout, his ears moved up and lengthened, ending in points, his strength visibly increased almost to a bodybuilder size, his teeth became whiter than Jacks but turned into fangs as more grew out, his nails became claws, a tail grew, luckily enough finding a hole to grow through and, giving a roar, his furred wings ripped out. He breathed hard while Bunny just about climbed out, and he shot out as the sand headed towards Jack. Together, they sent out a blast that almost seemed to shatter the sand, Jack's icy blue and his blood red joining together to send Pitch shooting back. As Jack fell, Hallows grabbed him, flying back to the sleigh, but the damage was done. They flew through a portal to the North Pole, and while he had not known Sandy for long, he stood there during the service, wings down while an ache grew in his non-existent heart. It was as if a part of his pack was gone, but Sandy wasn't pack, right?

"Look how fast they're going out" Tooth stated, and he looked at the globe. Lights, one by one, were going out.
"It's fear." Jack said, flying to get a closer look "He's tipped the balance"
"Hey, buck up, ya sad-sacks! Come on! We can still turn this around! Easter is tomorrow, and I need your help. I say we pull out all the stops and get those little flickering lights again!" they followed Bunny's advice, and Hallows followed them. Then North said something Hallows doubted anyone would ever have thought they'd hear coming from his lips.
"Bunny's right! As much as it pains me to say it old friend, this time Easter it more important than Christmas" Bunny's eyes widened.
"Hey, did everyone hear that?" Bunny asked, celebrating slightly.
"We must get to the Warren. Everyone! To the sleigh!" Bunny just about stopped before getting in front of them.
"Oh no, mate. My Warren, my rules. Buckle up" he tapped the ground twice, and North's eyes widened in fear.
"Shostakovich!" and then the ground opened up beneath them. He noticed North grab onto Tooth's tail feathers, and they all went on for a ride with North screaming while Jack enjoyed it, Hallows, not so much. It was taking out his fur! When he got onto his hind legs, or only legs, since his arms still functioned as arms, he slid around until falling out into a place. North chuckled "Buckle up." he sat up "Is very funny" Bunny smirked while chuckling.
"Welcome to the Warren!" he suddenly sat up, ears twitching before turning and sniffing, his ears moving almost like crazy. Using his own hearing, he heard... a child scream? The girl! "Something's up" they took out their weapons before Bunny gave a yell, almost like a battle cry, before charging forwards, all but Hallows doing the same, and Bunny stopped a mere metre from the girl who stopped screaming.
"Sophie?" Jack asked, and Hallows smirked as they quickly hid their weapons, all trying to look innocent. She laughed, dropped three eggs she held, before laughing and chasing one of the elves, yelling
"Elf elf elf!"
"What is she doing here?!" Bunny demanded.
"I tried to tell you. After... he knocked you out, I stayed behind to look after you. She took North's Snow Globe" he informed them.
"Crikey. Somebody do something!" Bunny ordered in a full on panic, stopping to look at Jack.
"Don't look at me! I'm invisible, remember?"
"And yet you caused the mess in the first place" the girl, Sophie, was trying to pull off the elf's hat, all the time yelling
"Elf elf elf!"
"Don't worry, Bunny!" Tooth flew forwards, attracting Sophie's attention "I bet she's a fairy fan!" she said, striking a pose, making Sophie gasp "It's okay, little one"
"Pretty!" Hallows chuckled.
"Oh! You know what? I've got something for you!"
"Oh please not the teeth..." Hallows said, knowing what would happen, having made 'teeth' run around on a previous Halloween.
"Here it is! Look at all the pretty teeth with the little blood and gum on them!"
"She did..." the child stared before crying and running.
"Ha ha ha! Blood and gums? When was the last time you guys actually hung out with kids?" Jack asked.
"Peak-a-boo!" little Sophie shouted. Good thing it wasn't Halloween...
"We are very busy bringing joy to children! We don't have time!" North stated while Hallows watched little Sophie "For Children!"
"There is another way. I'm going to be exhausted..." he concentrated and they watched as Sophie looked at him.
"Doggie!" she shouted before running towards him.
"She can see you?" Jack asked.
"It takes most of my energy, but I can stay visible for an hour at most" he answered before letting the little one ride on his back as they helped to paint the eggs.
"...I'm bringing Hope with me!" he heard Bunny shout, and he was near Tooth.
"His Guardian role?" he asked, and she nodded as they continued. It was near the end of his time that they got together, and Bunny took little Sophie from him.
"Poor little ankle-biter. Look at her, all tuckered out" Bunny said, smiling down at Sophie.
"I love her!" Tooth stated, smiling at the girl as Hallows' time was up. Feeling as he was once more only visible to those that believed, he sighed.
"Out of time" he answered the unasked question as a few looked at him.
"I think it's time to get her home" Tooth stated, taking Sophie.
"How about I take her home?" Jack asked
"Jack, no! Pitch is ou...
"...no match for this!" he held up the staff.
"Which is why we need you here, with us" Bunny stated
"Trust me. I'll be quick as a bunny!" why did he have a bad feeling about this?

How he hated being right for these things! Dozens of Nightmares surrounded them, crushing the eggs, attacking them. Why did he have to use so much of his power?! The last thing he saw was a hoof before waking up on grass.
"Jack! Where were you?! The Nightmares attacked the tunnels, they smashed every egg, crushed every basket. Nothing made it to the surface" North stated as Hallows slowly got up. He heard Tooth's wings, and she gasped.
"Jack! Where'd you get that?"
"I was... it's..." he tried, but he couldn't.
"Where's Baby Tooth?" she asked, and Hallows stood up "Oh, Jack! What have you done?" she asked, pure horror on her face.
"That is why you weren't here? You were with Pitch?!" North demanded, and Hallows walked to them while Jack started to back away.
"No! Listen, listen! I'm sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen!" Jack tried to explain.
"He has to go" Jack turned and stared at Bunny "We should never have trusted you!" Bunny seemed ready to punch Jack before stopping himself and explaining "Easter is new beginnings, new life. Easter's about Hope! And now, it's gone" Bunny looked down, and Hallows walked to him, placing his hand on Bunny's left shoulder. Bunny looked at him and Hallows actually felt his sadness. Hah! He still had Empathy! He pulled Bunny to him, giving Bunny a hug as they heard Frost fly away. The sleigh flew to them, and they all got in while they tried to find any child that still believed. How they would find one, he had no idea. Oh wait, the sleigh had a globe.

They were losing altitude! The sleigh slammed onto the ground, and the reindeer ran.
"Ah, moi deti! Come back!" North tried to order.
"North, are you okay?" Tooth asked while Hallows kept Bunny close.
"Is official. My powers are kaput!" he stated.
"Look!" Tooth pointed somewhere, and Frost flew down "Jack!" she fell out of the sleigh.
"Are you okay?"
"What are you doing here?" North asked.
"Same as you" a small boy ran out, his eyes wide and mouth open.
"The last light!" North stated, and the child ran to them.
"Wow! It is you! I mean it is you! I knew it wasn't a dream!" he ended with facing Jack.
"Jack, he sees you!" Hallows looked down; it was always the new ones that got seen first. In sadness, he just walked away. He heard a few things, but he ignored all as he looked at the moon, but then he heard what sounded like thunder. Looking, he saw that the entire city was surrounded by black sand, the Nightmares! He watched as they shot towards something, but his eyes widened as he saw gold. Dreamsand! He felt it, he felt his humanity coming back, and he shot towards where the battle was. He looked at them and heard Jack say
"There is no place to hide" Pitch sank into the shadows, and they looked around. Pitch appeared behind Jack, but with a speed he rarely used, Hallows seemed to almost vanish as he ran and punched Pitch as hard as he could, sending the Boogeyman flying into the air as a whip shot out. He looked at himself and smiled as he saw his human form, he had missed it, and then Sandy pulled Pitch to him. Pitch looked scared before Sandy waved a single finger, almost like saying 'no no no!' and punched him again, sending him higher than Hallows had. Huh, for a guy made of sand, he sure packed a punch! He heard a few of the kids say about him being the Sandman, and Sandy made a hat appear, taking it off as if to say 'how do you do?' before looking as if he just remembered something, and pulling on the rope, Pitch was thrown down, out cold. Sandy started going up, standing on his sand, and then he shot out his Sand, sending dreams everywhere. They took on many forms, dolphins, birds, sea creatures, dinosaurs, nearly anything, and then Jack threw a snowball. It hit the back of the boy, Jimmy, Jonny... Jamie, who quickly rolled up one and tossed it. A snowball fight began, and the funniest part, to Hallows, was when one of North's own elves tossed a snowball at the back of his head. He turned, and the kids on either side of it pointed to the elf, but instead of doing anything like he normally would, he laughed.
"Ha ha! You're all on Naughty List! Bunny! Think fast!" and with that, he tossed a snowball at Bunny who, not knowing what would happen, was hit in the face, knocking him off his paws and onto the snow. Even the yetis rolled some snowballs, although they were more cannonball sized, and Hallows would hate to get hit by one of those. A snowball narrowly missed him, but instead of rolling his own, he smirked before sending it back at its thrower, Jack, who let himself get hit.
"You dare have fun in my presence! I am the Boogeyman! And you will fear me!" as Pitch stomped forwards, Jamie ran right through him "No! Ah! No..." he almost felt bad for Pitch, almost. Pitch took one look at them, horror on his face, and he took off. Bunny tapped the ground twice, and they all went in, giving North time to stand in the way. Pitch smashed into him and fell down.
"Leaving the party so soon?" North asked.
"You didn't even say goodbye!" Tooth spun a coin in her hand before it shot to Pitch who caught it and looked at it.
"A quarter?" he asked, looking up with a 'what the' look on his face, just before she punched him, knocking out a tooth.
"And that's for my fairies" she seemed awfully gleeful about it.
"You can't get rid of me!" Pitch stated, standing up "Not forever! There will always be fear!"
"So what? As long as one child believes, we will be here to fight fear" North stated.
"Really? Then what are they doing here?" he indicated some Nightmares.
"They can't be my nightmares, I'm not afraid!" North stated.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Pitch, but is your fear not that of being like you were? Weak, almost powerless? I'd get running, if I were you." Pitch's eyes widened at the truth of Hallows' words, and running, the Nightmares were right behind him. They turned into sand and grabbed him, pulling him into his home, not to be seen for a long time, hopefully. Clouds that had covered the moon seemed to vanish, and Hallows looked at them "Well, I need to go. Halloween is coming up, and I plan to really shake things up, without the Boogeyman, of course. Weird, this is the first time in over two thousand years I am saying goodbye to anyone" he floated up.
"Hey, Hallows!" he looked at Jack "Thanks" nodding, he shot off. Time to plan.

THE END