The witch’s magic had worked. Mordu had finally evaporated, though black sand from the ‘night fairies’ still covered the ground. The townspeople were shaky and scared, but my real fears were for Hiccup, Fauna, and Jack. I was certain that this stuff had come from the portal, and if it had brought a demon bear back here, then what had it created on Berk, or at Jack’s lake? I sighed and pulled out the vial.

============

I look around frantically. I wiped a tear off my cheek and shook my head to clear my mind. “I need to focus, Summer is captured by Pitch, probably hurt, most definitely scared. I can’t believe I let this happen to her. It’s all my fault…” I closed my eyes and cried. I had been running everywhere to look for my girl, but she didn’t seem to be anywhere. I picked up a rock and chucked it into the lake. I grabbed my staff and began randomly shooting at trees. I screamed and threw my source of magic into the air. All my anger suddenly left me, and I fell to my knees. Too broken to keep going. “She’s gone… my best friend… my baby… Summer…” I pulled my legs into my chest and burrowed my head into my arms. I felt cold, though it was impossible. A part of me was gone, the most vital part, one that I had to live without for 300 years. I couldn’t stand to lose her again. I took a deep breath and stood. “I’m not giving up. I’ll find you.”

============

I shot through the trees like a bullet. Mist’s words sped me along, my body telling me when to duck for my eyes were clouded with tears. Gotta find Jack… I have to find him… for Mist… I heard a crashing noise to my right, almost like exploding bells. I had heard that sound before; only one person had magic that made that noise. I ran towards the sound, but it had stopped. I stepped forward warily and was suddenly next to a tiny waterfall. On the other side of the narrow stream a boy sat, curled in a ball. His shoulders shook with sobs and his staff lay in the water. Several trees around him were frozen and the ground he sat on was frosty white. He slowly stood with a look of determination on his face. One last tear fell from his eye and froze before it even hit the ground. I walked forward and he was suddenly directly in front of me, his staff in hand and glowing. His eyes were squinted in anger and his lips were parted in a growly look. “What are you doing here?”

“This isn’t about you and me; we can talk some other time. This is an emergency; do you think I would be here if it wasn’t?” His face relaxed and he lowered the staff.

“Ok. I believe you. What? Wait… you’re crying… oh no.” I wiped the tear away and nodded.

“She’s dying, Jack, she needs you. She told me to find you…”

“Where?”

“In a clearing to the west…”

“But where?!”

“She said to tell you 16th, that you would know what that meant.” He reached out a hand.

“Come on. She will want you too. I hate to admit it but she still loves you. Grab my wrist, this will get crazy.” I took his arm and we shot into the sky.

============

I was trying to not panic. Summer is dying? What happened? I can’t lose her, she can’t die… I never told her that I… I looked down to see the clearing. The same one Summer had run to every time she was hurt by her father until she turned 16. I dropped quickly to the ground. Hiccup tipped around a bit but soon regained his balance. I looked everywhere, but there was nothing. Except… I saw a flash of blue in the trees to the left.  I ran over and saw Paintsplash lying on the ground, whimpering. Hiccup calmed her down and she soon slept peacefully. “Where is Summer?”

“I don’t know. She was here when I ran to find you… wait, what’s that?” I looked where he was pointing. A piece of fiery fabric was caught on a branch. Hiccup picked it up and nodded. “This is Mi- Summer’s.”

“There’s one over there. And there. She left us a trail to follow her?”

“Why did you say that like a question?”

“Well she is either very discreet or super obvious. I’ve never seen anything like this. I would assume there to be nothing or a letter in the dirt giving us directions to where she went.”

“I would agree, but it works so let’s not question it and just find her.” I nodded. We ran, following the trail. After a while Hiccup stopped.

“What are you doing?”

“I just realized something: when I left, she was… was pretty bad. I don’t think she could get this far in the amount of time I was gone without help. In fact, I didn’t think she could move at all. This is a trap.”

“I already figured that out. Let’s just approach with caution. I am thinking we will see a building of some kind. Summer’s best defense are her wings, and, assuming Paint was hurt the same way, Pitch would want to set up somewhere that a night fury can’t just fly up out of. It will be kind of big, cuz night furies aren’t exactly small.” He gaped at me. “What? Shocked that the inexperienced, ‘all-play-no-work’ guy showed you up?”

“Well, to be honest, yeah.”

“Dude, I am, like, 20 times your age. I’ve picked up a couple things. Now let’s go.” He opened and closed his mouth like a dying fish, which made me feel a teeny bit better. If only Summer could see that I… yeah, I humbled down after that. Don’t worry, Sum, I’m here. Just hold on.

============

I looked around me, but I couldn’t seem to focus on anything. All I saw were ghostly faces and tiny piranha fairies… wait what? I blinked, but what I saw wasn’t any better. Pitch stood above me, with that demon singleclaw, Cinderpaw. The fairies were still there, though. I felt a bit more awake, and I looked down to see that my arm wasn’t quite so bad. “Feeling better? Good, I assumed that antidote would work.”

“You evil, sickly…” I tried to attack him only to find my arms chained to a table. So were my legs.

“Uh uh uh! Nice try, but that won’t work. These were made for you, special delivery! You will make excellent bait.”

“For who…”

“I think you know.” My heart stopped. Jack. Hiccup. NO! I opened my mouth to shout a warning when Pitch gagged me. I thrashed and screamed, I pleaded and cried. You can’t take them away, no! Please, no! Kill me, just kill me! Spare them, please! I am your daughter, PLEASE! Please…

============

We walked up to the huge building. Wow, Jack was right. This place is huge, how did I not see it before? This is the place I saw that golden-eyed man. Wait… HOW COULD I HAVE MISSED THAT?! No wonder he looked familiar, he’s Pitch Black, the one Mist was talking about. If he hurt her…

============

If Pitch touched Summer… I was ready to go in fighting, and from Hiccups expression I could tell he was, too. A look passed between us and he drew his fire sword. Heat had always made me nervous, just don’t tell Summer. I put one finger up and when I dropped it, flew in the storage house. Hiccup came running after me. It was dark, but the fire lit up the huge room. I scanned around, looking for any indication of where Pitch had hidden Summer. A shine of metal caught my eye and I took a chance. A stupid one, yes. “Summer? Are you here?” I heard a scream and I became immediately on high alert. “Summer!” Hiccup and I yelled. We rushed towards the sound but before we could get there the lights came on, temporarily blinding us. I heard a collective screech emit from the ceiling. I looked up to see a swarm of multicolor fairies with fiery wings. Their eyes glowed orange and their bodies were covered with rainbow markings. They were each the size of my palm, but they had huge gnashing teeth and a deafening scream. They moved like lightning and immediately shot towards us. They scratched at our eyes, and I heard a girl crying for somewhere in the building. “Summer! Where are you!” a faint voice answered.

“Jack! No, please, kill me! Save them! Please Pitch; I will never betray you again, just save them!!” And just as it had started the devil fairies were gone. I looked behind me to see Hiccup standing with his sword in the air, still scaring off the last fairies.

“Ok, that’s just not fair. I get all cut up and you don’t have a scratch?” He glared at me.

“Is that REALLY important right now?!” I looked up and saw Pitch standing calmly, holding Summer by the neck as her chains her down. Thick metal loops with shackles secured her to the floor by the arms and legs. My vision tinted red and before I knew what happened I stood in front of Pitch, my staff pointed right at his ugly throat. Summer made a gagging noise and I felt a piece of me snap. I had never been angrier in my life, so ready to make someone pay.

“Just hold on, Summer. Pitch, Let her go. NOW.” He just laughed.

“What say we leave it up to my newest creation, hm? You’ll enjoy this one, Hiccup; I made it just for you!” Talons scraped the floor and a nightmare came forward. Or, more like night DRAGON. A creature of smoke with one piercing eye and another empty socket limped forward. Despite its scrawny appearance, I knew a predator when I saw one. This thing could kill anything of not controlled… that is, if it could be controlled. Hiccup made a strangled noise and I turned to see his face was white; he shook like he had seen a ghost, which he sort of did. I was certain that he had seen that dragon before, and he wasn’t happy about it. I wasn’t sure who I should be pointing my staff at, Pitch or the ghost. Summer’s eyes opened wide and she pointed to the dragon. She made a scraping movement and then flicked out from her arm, as in… blood. She then pointed to the fairy demons and mimed eating. I nodded and she stuck out a pinkie, raising it to her eye and dragging downward. She nodded to Pitch, who was still gloating about his creation. She then winked. I understood, we had a plan. I looked down and Hiccup to make sure he was watching. He nodded. I lunged towards the dragon, shooting it in the good eye with ice. The creature screamed\roared in pain. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard. The noise was answered by the sound of nightmares, jumping through the cracks of doors and breaks in windows. In a few moments we were surrounded by Pitch’s minions. But they weren’t normal sand creatures, some had purple glowing eyes and bright bluish light glowed through their ribs and nostrils. Their manes and ears sparked and flew around wildly. Most looked like they were on fire, with manes of red that flew straight up and orange glowing eyes. Charcoal burned the ground wherever they stepped, and fiery dragon wings shot off their backs. A fiery symbol was embedded around their eyes. There were also blue ones, icy spikes instead of manes and frost shooting from their noses. The legs had blue spikes emitting from them, and their hooves were pure blue. Ice froze the floor wherever they stepped. Suddenly the freaky creatures stepped back and bowed as a fiery nightmare bigger than the rest came forward. It had fire for a mane and tail, white hot. The feet were interchanging colors of the rainbow with green vines circling the forelegs. A small storm cloud was created everywhere it walked. Lightning shot from its eyes and jet black dragon wings stretched out from its back. Despite all this, it seemed more… tame. Almost as if it was hesitant to walk forward after the others bowed. It walked softly, shaking its mane every once in a while as if it didn’t like the feel of the bit in its mouth. A tall man rode the back of the creature, a scar on his ear and a long scar across his cheek. He wore mostly black leather and he had short, deep brown hair. Hiccup gasped and Summer made a noise very similar to a growl.

“That's impossible!” Hiccup gaped.

“You know him?”

“That’s…”

============

“Hazer.” I finished. Pitch had finally put me down and was relaxing in a chair of sand. “But how? He was back in… with… what?” Pitch laughed.

“Would you like an introduction? Summer, meet your brother: Hazer Nature.” I just gaped at him.

“My brother grew up with mom, back in our time… we found Hazer in Berk.”

“Ah, yes, the little brother that you are referring to did stay in our time period. This here is your big brother. He has been working with me to find you for years. Family has to stick together. When you went off the radar about 300 years ago I sent your not-widely-known-of-brother Hazer to find you. I gave him portal sand to travel wherever he wanted in search of you. It is probably not yet known to you, but time travel is one of your abilities, the multiple personalities are a side effect. How do you think you ended up in those other places anyway? What use would I have for you in another time? Anyways, he found you on Berk; he just didn’t realize it with the different name and whatever. But now we are all one big family again! Now, I love a good game so why don’t I make this interesting? Jack against Cinderpaw here…”

“Master, you told me I could fight the Viking!”

“Plans change. Anyways, Summer with Hazer and me with Hiccup. Oh these mixed battles will definitely be interesting. Feel free to switch opponents at any time. Now, let’s have some fun!”

============

We fought like our lives depended in it, which they did. My powers were back at this point, though still weak. And I had defeated him before without powers, so what was the big deal? Well, I was still injured, so I couldn’t seem to get myself up off the ground. Every once in a while Hiccup or Jack would cross my path and we would fight together like we always have. Hazer was down once I combined powers with Jack, and Pitch really didn’t intend to fight. He just stood in a circle of nightmares and laughed. Cinderpaw was the real problem. It was impossible to kill her. A demon of smoke is hard to destroy. She would just turn to air and circle around our feet, waiting for one of us to make a wrong move. We were exhausted and my arm was burning. We stood in the center of a wind storm, back to back as we waited for her. I flapped my wings and… wait, wings! I pushed myself into the air, beating my wings hard. The demon wailed as she blew apart. When the smoke cleared a pile of sand-covered bones lay on the ground. “Well I have to say I am glad to see her go.” Jack panted. Hiccup stood still, a look of terror still on his face. I put an arm on his shoulder and Jack gave him a worried look.

“Hey, Hiccup, are you ok?”

“You look sick.” I shot him a look and he raised his hands and made a zipper motion across his mouth.

“Th-that was Cinderpaw. A demon singeclaw. S-she was supposed to be dead. She almost caused me to lose Astrid.” There goes that sad heart pang again.

“Don’t worry, Hiccup, she’s gone now.” Jack nodded and suddenly his eyes went wide.

“Summer, duck!” He tackled me down and shoved Hiccup out of the way. I heard a sickening shluck noise and Jack gasped. He fell to the ground, pulling me with him. I started to panic as I turned him over to face me. Blood stained his hoodie red and a gaping hole was ripped through the coat… Jack had been stabbed by one of Cinderpaw’s own bones.

============

I gasped for air as I looked up at Summer’s terrified face. “Summer… I- I need to tell you…”

“Shh, d-don’t talk, j-just rest. If I can just… or… just don’t worry, you’ll be ok. I’m not letting you go. You can’t leave me alone… you can’t! I’m not going to let anyone else hurt you, you’re safe…” She placed her trembling lips on my forehead and a tear fell on my face. I felt cold, but I was with Summer, so it was okay.

“But you need to know… I love you…” She laughed softly as her tears dropped. Her trembling hands framed my face and I could tell she was trying to be strong for me. Hiccup stood in the background, and I could see he was crying slightly, too. “H-Hiccup, come over here…” He stepped forwards. I gestured for his to crouch and I held my hand to his forehead. I concentrated on the pattern in my mind. A white hot line raced across his head and he flinched. “I n-name you, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, an official guardian of children. B-but I have a certain person I need you to look after.” I weakly grasped Summer’s hand and put it in his. He nodded and she broke apart. She wrapped her arms around my neck and sobbed. She kissed my cheek over and over. I smiled and laughed weakly. “Ow…” She smiled sadly and held my hand tight.

“I can’t lose you… you became my heart when I turned 16. I should have never doubted that… please, don’t go! I love you! You’re my best friend!”

“Summer, you need to let go. It will be ok. Hiccup will take care of you.” He nodded. She shook her head no vigorously.

“No, no, I can’t let you go! Fight, Jack, for me…” I smiled and the world began to turn white.

“I see my sister, Summer, and I will see you again someday, too. I love you.” I walked into the light and…

============

“No, Jack, please!! No!! You can’t do this!! I won’t let you go!! I can’t lose you!!” I fell onto him, burrowing my head into his chest. “No… no, please…” A hand fell on my shoulder and I turned to see Hiccup crying. He opened his arms and I fell forward into them. I let myself go limp, and I forgot about everything except Jack. “He’s… gone…” I beat against Hiccup’s chest, screamed into his shoulder that it wasn’t fair. Eventually I sat in silence, being rocked back and forth. I didn’t feel anything, not even sadness. So this is what it’s like to die inside… When I was able to process full thoughts again, I heard Pitch laughing to my right. Hiccup grabbed his sword and stood, holding me, shaking, to him.

“Pitch, you have no right to live. Get out, you got your wish.” A creaky voice echoed from behind.

“Well I didn’t.” Suddenly Hiccup flew across the room and into a wall, I was pulled away from him at the last second by an invisible force.

“HICCUP!!” I screamed. His forehead bled and he fell to the ground, unconscious. And the voice behind me had the nerve to laugh. A dam inside me broke, and all my anger, terror, feelings, and hatred channeled into my blood. I was so enraged that my vision seemed to be glowing blue. The thing dropped me and I stepped forward. The ground around me shook, and vines circled around my feet. Tall shoes of leaves and vine circled my feet. Stems surrounded my hands and thin webs of leaves covered it. Flowers braided themselves into my hair and water flowed down my front. When I looked down water surrounded my feet and, on a hunch, I raised my hand. It circled around me and the dress turned blue. My hair remained red and started to glow. My gems sparked brighter and I heard lightning strike. A storm began circling my head, and lightning embedded itself into my dress. I felt a shock flow through my body. I looked up and Pitch backed away slowly. My tears fell and I clenched my fists. “You have taken everything from me! My childhood, my life, my best friends… you took the ones I love, and now it’s your turn.” I thrust out my hand and lightning created a cage around Pitch and the invisible, not-dead-Cinderpaw. I threw the demon into a wall, pulling her apart with air. She howled and disappeared into nothingness. Pitch yelped and tried not to touch the electric walls of his cage. I walked forward, a tiny earthquake started wherever I walked. It got bigger as I approached my father and when I got to the prison cell a fissure opened in the center of it. I clenched my fist then slowly spread my fingers outwards. The crack began to widen, and Pitch flew up to the roof of his cage. “Down!” I yelled and the wind pushed him downwards till he was just above the gaping hole. Lava began to rise as I pulled it from the depths of the chasm. At the last moment before the lava touched the quivering boogie man I opened the cage and he came tumbling out. I walked forward, slowly, and he scurried to a wall. I could tell he was trying to turn to smoke and escape so I created a wind funnel around him so he couldn’t move. When I got close enough I reached my hand through the wind and grabbed him by the shirt. I pulled him out, tossing him over my head and pushing him into the ground. The force was so powerful that the cement floor cracked in a spider web design. I held my hand up and water raced up my arm until becoming a liquid sword in my hand. Fire raced up and down my legs and clouds of lightning circled me. I held the sword to his throat and he whimpered. I thought I could hear somebody yelling and, just as I was about to bring down my sword I looked to see Hiccup, pulling himself up and falling back onto the wall. His face was twisted in pain and I looked down to see the same look on Pitch’s face. My anger suddenly left and I stood, the storm gone and chasm closed, looking silently into my father’s eyes as he pleaded freedom. I dropped my sword and the water seeped into the ground. An expression crossed his face I had never seen before. Was he… proud of me?

“You fought well, my dear, now you see why I toughened you up when you were a child?”

“You beat me, you used me. You ruined me. How is that toughening up?” He smiled.

“You will see. In another time, we will meet again, and this encounter will be taken into extreme consideration on my part. Goodbye, Summer.” And with that, he was gone.

I ran over to Hiccup, supporting one arm under his. I helped him up and he groaned. I cried. “You’ll be ok, Hiccup.” I wiped a tear away and placed my hand on his chest. He blinked.

“H-how did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“When you placed a hand on my chest I felt one of the cuts close up.”

“Hiccup, I think you have a concussion. We need to get you back to Sandy.” He shook his head no.

“Listen, just…” He brushed a tear off my cheek and placed it on his forehead. The cut that had covered his brow then disappeared.

“Did that just… did I…” He nodded. I helped Hiccup to the ground, then ran to Jack. Just seeing him, pale and gone brought tears. I lifted his head into my lap and let myself cry. I looked at his chest, but nothing happened. I sat for a little while, in silence, grieving over my best friend. I felt tears rolling down my face and a piece in my heart slowly dissolved. I thought about what Jack had said. “I love you…” I smiled. “I love you, too.” Suddenly fire erupted before my eyes and I fell back. The flames curled and swirled in the air, and for one second I thought I saw Jack, smiling at me through the fire. When the brightness faded, Jack was… gone.

============

I gasped, my eyes shooting open and I sat up. I looked all around me, but all I saw was bright white, shining on and on forever. A creature with wings and a silver robe stood before me. He held a trumpet and had a long white beard. He was very tall, and also round, like North. He seemed important and regal. His eyes looked like liquid mercury and I felt my breath catch. “M-man in the moon?” He smiled and nodded. His voice echoed into my skull, though his lips did not move.

Hello, Jack, I have been waiting for you. Your actions have proved that you deserved the honor of being a guardian, and many people loved you dearly.

“Am I… dead?”

Not yet. I am here to judge if you deserve a second chance, or if your time has ended. Though I have a feeling I know what you will want. He waved his hand and a hole opened in the floor. A globe moved up and a picture took form in it. I saw Summer, laying on the ground, holding my head in her hands and crying. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stroked my face. Hiccup lay, unconscious, in the corner, blood streaming down his face. I pressed my hand against the cool surface of the sphere and I felt a tear fall. The picture blurred and, when I blinked, the sphere was gone.

“Please, I need to go back to her. She’s my best friend, my heart. I can’t leave her after everything that has happened.” The moon stroked his chin.

I can definitely say she broke down after you stopped breathing. Look. The globe came back and this time I saw Summer, her clothes crazy and beautiful. A storm circled her, water moved and bubbled at her feet, as she pulled open the ground, forcing lava up around Pitch in a lightning cage. She was sobbing and trembling with anger as she fought her father. She screamed and threw him across the floor, holding a water sword to his throat. Then the picture ended.

“No… no, you have to bring the picture back! I have to know what happened! Is she ok, did she kill him? And what about Hiccup? She will be all alone…” I sunk to my knees and cried. I didn’t want her to be alone, I thought Hiccup would care for her. I love her so much, I can’t stand to see her break like that…

I can see your thoughts. The moon said. And I have made my decision…

============

I limped over to Summer, laying a hand on her shoulder. She had a shocked look on her face, as if she couldn’t comprehend what had happened. “He… he’s gone. He disappeared.”

“I know. But I am certain he’s in a better place now. Jack loved you with every part of him, he gave his life for you. Anyone who would do that will end up in a happy place, as long as their heart in in the right place. And his was with you.” She closed her eyes and sighed shakily.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve lost him twice, Hiccup, do you know how that feels?”

============

“You'd be surprised…” A bright light flashed above us, slowly dropping to the ground. As it faded, a boy in a blue hoodie with white hair and a silver tattoo on his cheek stepped forward. Hiccup’s hand dropped and he gaped at him. I stood still, my happy tears falling. I smiled wider than I ever had, but I couldn’t make my legs move. Jack slowly walked forward, and every step he took made me happier. He finally stood, right in front of me, his bright eyes looking into mine. He slid his hand up to my cheek and I tilted into it. I closed my eyes and listened to his voice.

“Summer…” I finally made myself leap forward, tossing my arms around his neck and kissing him on the lips. His breath smelled like cold winter air and mint. I burrowed my head into his chest and then I realized we were about 10 feet off the ground. I laughed and so did Jack. He tilted my head up and I tried not to fall into his big blue eyes. My clothes softly turned back into fire, and I don’t think my wings had ever glowed so brightly.  

“You have a marking on your cheek.” He nodded, his eyes crinkled up in a smile.

“I came back from the dead for you. The moon knew it was right, and he let me come home. You are my home.” I felt the broken part of me mend, and I stroked the mark on his face. It was a heart, half looked like fire, the other like ice. Small vine-like swirls shot outward, curling around his eye.

“And you are mine. I never should have doubted you, I’m so…” He kissed me softly on the lips, and I forgot what I was going to say.

“There is nothing to apologize for. Now, let’s go home.” I smiled and nodded.

“But we will all go together. I am never letting the three of us get separated again, unless Hiccup goes home to visit his family.” Jack nodded and Hiccup smiled. With that I dropped to the floor, locking arms with Hiccup and holding Jack’s hand. I rested my hand on his shoulder and he pulled me closer with his staff.

“From now on, we are a family, and family never gets left behind.”