Ep. 11 Beginning Again

November 25th, 2023

Two months later, the dragon had not returned and many changes were being made to Equality. Some involved Freedom's family, others about the Hunters. Queen Sun had many decisions to make.

First of all, what happened with the Tyler case? Jewel ended up closing it since an answer from Jack had been confessed. He was never arrested though because during the battle with Nature, he disappeared. Princess Guardians and Freedom were thanked, and even a token of gratitude was made to the Hunters. After then, everything went back to normal.

Almost everything.

Equality as a whole were having slight difficulties with neighboring kingdoms and empires about what happened to Nature. Queen Sun had told everyone to keep hush about it, but word gets around likes diseases spread. So, when Alaina heard the story, she rushed back to Equality. It was all true.

Jack had murdered Tyler, kidnapped Dasher, Nicole, Jewel, and Butterfly, almost killed Princess Guardians, Freedom, and Nature, and was consumed by the darkness Dark Magic possesses. Jack and Nature had one insane battle which left him disappearing and Nature being in a coma.

Alaina could not believe she missed it all. Her mother was a wreck, Karlos was distant, and Freedom... no one was sure what was going on in his head. Her family was falling apart as each day had passed.

A burden was left on Dasher, Nicole, Jewel, and Butterfly's shoulders, thinking some part of this was their fault. The lunch table seemed odd to them like something was missing. They knew what it was, but they were still too shaken up to talk about it. They had their abilities back as did Freedom and Princess Guardians. They should had been happy, but they weren't. But on November 25th, they could no longer avoid the events in the last two months, so they went to visit Nature.

Nature was in the hospital attached to a heart monitor. The grey in her hair had returned to light pink. She had been kept close eye on since the reasoning to why she was in a coma was unknown. The doctors were thinking head trauma, increased pressure on the brain, or even the poison might have had carbon monoxide in it. Whatever the answer was, she had not been awake in two months.

"Do you think she'll wake?" Butterfly asked her friends beside her.

"I hope so," Dasher narrowed her eyes.

As they turned to leave, Nature opened her eyes. Nicole had glanced back and realized the movement.

"Ya'll, wait!" She got their attention.

"What is it, darling?" Jewel sighed.

"Nature."

The other two then whirled around, surprised. The four hurried back to Nature with tears starting to form. They said her name several times, but she said nothing to them. Butterfly remembered a piece from her nurse training and told them to slow down.

"Give her a minute," she said.

It took slow impatient minutes, but finally Nature smiled weakly at them. "You're...okay," she said. Her voice had cracked and was difficult to understand.

"You're worried about us?" Jewel laughed in relief, smearing her makeup by wiping a tear. "Nature, dear, you've been in a coma for two months."

"...What?" Her eyes widened, turning green to purple.

The others looked at each other worryingly. "I'm going to go tell the nurse you're awake," Butterfly said before leaving.

"I've...been...in...a... coma?"

"Yeah, Equality's not the same without you," Dasher gently but playfully nudged her. "We missed you."

"... Freedom-?"

"Are you sure you two weren't dating?" Jewel smiled sadly.

"Shut... up," Nature scowled, her eyes turning red. They ceased to blue. Then, to pink as she blushed. "Is... he... okay?"

"We don't really know," Nicole shook her head. "No one does."

A nurse came in with Butterfly and raised her eyebrows. "You weren't kidding," the nurse said. Nature's vision was blurry but she could hear the direction the nurse came from. The nurse walked back out for a moment.

"What... did... I... miss?"

"Well, Freedom's family is a mess right now," Jewel answered.

"To top it off, after the whole thing with Jack settled down, the six of us were seeing a therapist, Queen Sun's suggestion. But since no one really wants anything to do with his family right now, Freedom's been disappearing more and more," Butterfly included.

"I... probably... know... where...."

"We also had to give some kind of credit to Princess Guardians for saving us, so she's not all bad I guess," Dasher added. "She's also been a bit friendly too and talked the politicians into letting Queen Sun give the Hunters a bit more freewill. Another words as, Foxy going to Hillville's school."

"You... guys... know... Foxy?"

"We do now," Nicole nodded. "The rest of the land ain't quite takin' too kindly to it though."

"You ready for the hottest topic in the land? The Guardians have been around at least twice a day every day for the last month!" Jewel exclaimed. "They don't say anything either. They're just... around."

"Oh, and other kingdoms and empires are havin' a fit with Equality right now because of what all went down," Nicole said.

"Please... don't... say... war."

"No, not yet, but the Villains are turning their heads in our direction," Dasher reassured her. "We think they figured out Equalian magic is just what they need for world domination."

"Sounds... lovely. Did... everyone... forget... I... exist... yet?"

"No, it's a little hard when you... uh, made Jack disappear and such," Nicole scratched her head.

"Yeah, what gives? You never told us you could do magic!" Dasher agreed.

"What? I... can't... though."

"Nature, we were right there," Butterfly stated.

"I... don't know... what... you're talking... about."

"How much do you remember?"

"...Everything is... fuzzy...since... coming back... into... Equality."

"Hm, it may come back to you, but are you sure?"

"Yes."

"One hundred percent positive?" Jewel made sure.

"Yes."

December 2nd, 2023

One week later, Nature was able to walk and talk again normally. Oddly enough, she was also back to her full physical self as well. The doctors found it strange since usually coma patients would take a few months to get back to full strength. But was she okay mentally?

Dasher was too excited to have Nature back that within two days everyone from the tip of the Icelands to the far corners of the Hunters' Territory knew she was awake. Foxy had visited at some point and brought her fresh clothes and dinner. They talked about how the Hunters were doing and how Foxy's brand new schooling was. But the whole time, Nature was waiting for Freedom.

He never came.

She wanted to ask Foxy where Freedom was, what he was up to, how was he doing, and why she hadn't seen him yet. However, she kept it to herself, trying not to be rude or sound as if he was boring her.

One thing she was bored with was being stuck in the hospital. The doctors wouldn't let her work because her brain was still kicking in back to normal activities. So, she sat with her arms crossed, watching the hours tick by. When the nurse left her alone, she got up and walked around the room. One day, she got caught and was given a speech about hurting a muscle too early in the healing process.

But finally, she was being released. The doctors were unsure if it was the right decision. However, she seemed normal and they couldn't keep a healthy person around for too much longer. They let her go. Boy, was she glad to hear it too!

The moment she finished signing out, she sped through the hospital entrance doors and embraced the sunlight like a reptile bathing in the Sun. For once in the long week, she had a moment of peace and happiness. She took a deep sigh of relief but instantly regretted opening her eyes.

"Hey," Guardian Hannah grinned.

"Ugh, I change my mind. I'm still sick," Nature scowled and turned back to the hospital.

"No, you're not," Guardian Jason said. He blocked her from entering the hospital. "Aren't you a ray of sunshine?"

"Leave me alone!" Nature groaned, turning away from him.

"Yeah, Jason, get lost," Guardian Hannah snickered.

Then, Nature realized something was wrong. Every Human from Hillville, Fruit Acres, the Icelands, and Settle Sun were there about thirty meters behind the Guardian. Also, mixed in were the Hunters. Guardian Phoebe stood beside her partner "innocently". If Freedom was there, she couldn't tell, but the Royal Family seemed to have a front row seat.

"What do you want from me?" Nature shook her head slightly, ready to snap.

Guardian Hannah lifted up a megaphone and turned to the Equalians. "Guess what, Equality? You got a third Guardian!"

"What about me?" Guardian Jason complained.

"You don't count. Anyway, yay! New Guardian!"

The Equalians blinked, unsure what to think. They had a third Guardian? Well, it made sense, but it still boggled their minds that for years Nature had been around and they were just receiving the information. How was it possible?

"I'M WHAT?" Nature yelled, not showing even a glimpse of liking the idea. "ARE YOU INSANE?"

"No, she's Hannah," Guardian Jason joked.

"Shut up, Jason," Guardian Hannah rolled her eyes. "Yes, we're serious! Welcome to the party!"

"AHHHHHH, NO! I CAN'T BE A GUARDIAN!"

"Well, you are one."

"BUT I HATE YOU GUYS!"

"What a nice impression to make to your peers," Guardian Phoebe said.

"Don't worry, Nature. Jason and I hate each other too, but we still work together."

"Wait, I have to work with this... how did you put it, Phebes? This marshmallow? But I can smell the scent of mercy radiating off her!"

"I'M NOT A MARSHMALLOW!"

"Yes, you are," Guardian Phoebe grinned. "You're a pink, melting, marshmallow."

"PHOEB, can she even hurt a fly? I mean like, look at her!"

"Jason, we talked about this."

"THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! YOU'RE MESSING WITH ME!"

"No, we're not," Guardian Hannah corrected her. "Why are you so surprised? It's not that difficult being a Guardian."

"YOU GUYS ARE MONSTERS!"

"Hey, you're lucky you're even alive, idiot!" Guardian Jason snapped. "It's not like you have a choice anyway. Right, Phebes?"

"Right."

"OVER MY DEAD BODY WILL I EVER WORK WITH YOU!"

"Oo, does that mean we don't have to keep her?" Guardian Jason liked the statement.

"No, she's staying," Guardian Phoebe shook her head.

"But, can't you taste the mercy?" He took a deep smell at Nature. "She's going to be the death of us!"

"Suck it up. It's not your decision to make."

"I know it isn't! Aye Nature, do us a favor and don't get corrupted!"

"WHAT?"

"He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"We literally had a discussion about it last night!"

"Jason, go away! You're making this worse," Guardian Phoebe crossed her arms. He groaned but walked away towards the forest. "Good. Now that he's gone, Hannah, please continue."

She pulled the megaphone back up to her face. "As Nature being a new Guardian, we have set expectations. First of all, respect her as you would us. Second, no matter what she does, no jail time. Third, no matter how crazy her ideas are, you have to listen. Authority is still the same, but she's no longer "Lady Nature". It's "Guardian Nature" now! And if anyone has a problem with this, we won't hesitate to put you in your place."

"NO NO NO NO NO! I CAN'T BE A GUARDIAN!"

"You don't have a choice," Guardian Phoebe said.

Frustratingly, Nature ran into the forest to get away from them. She felt humiliated! Who did the Guardians think they were to randomly invade her taste of peace? She hated them. She hated them so much she wouldn't mind seeing Dark Magic shallow them whole. But now she was one of them, and her life would never be the same.

She thought since Jack was gone, the struggles were over and she could chill a bit. They made her feel like a joke though. Yeah, her achievement was lucky. She only thought of it as luck. The truth was she did not know what happened that day, so it seemed unfair to shove her into such a high power.

If Nature were anyone else, she would be thinking of fame and power, but she knew the truth about the Guardians. It was another secret she hid inside her. They were capable of insane destruction, death, and their magic was dangerous. Oh, so long ago, Nature changed her image, but the past was coming back to haunt her. Was this a punishment?

They were monsters.

She was a monster.

What was the difference? The most frightening thing to her was she found barely any differences. She really was a Guardian after all.

Her thoughts were scattered, so the run to her home felt passed as thirty seconds. Of course, no one was there. She locked herself in the bathroom and looked into the mirror. Then, she saw it.

Her eyes flashed from yellow to purple. She stood there leaning against the sink panting. Tears filled her eyes, reminding her why she hated the Guardians. Those eyes were blue but the longer she thought about the Guardians, the faster they turned to red. Though her vision was blurred, she saw the red and hated it with passion. She hated herself too.

Nature breathed heavily, clenched her fists, and smashed the mirror to pieces. The shards landed on the floor and she realized what she had done. Her Guardian senses were already taking over her emotions. She cried while picking up the shards, realizing if the mirror had been a person, they'd be dead. She was a newborn disastrous Guardian.

December 9th, 2023

Another week later, Nature had not left her room for anything. All she did was lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering when it was all going to be over. Every new day, she hoped she would wake up and the whole Guardian situation would have been all a dream. It was not a dream. She knew it was not a dream.

Yet, somewhere a great deep depression took over her.

She had not eaten, drank, slept, or talked to anyone since the day the Guardians ruined her life. Her silence was starting to bother her family. They had decided to give her the first two days to calm down, but the other five days were out of hand. They had no idea if she was even alive anymore.

Five days in, Queen Sun sent letters asking where she was. Rose wrote back 'in her room and not coming out.' The news concerned her. She had thought Nature would cool down within a few days. It seemed Nature was truthfully annoyed after all.

Foxy was getting ready in the morning for school, thinking about his chemistry quiz. He was somewhat happy to be in school, but he thought Nature would make it even better. After all, since they were kids, it was their dream for him and other Hunter children to be able to get the same education as her.

He shook his head and walked to her door. He lightly knocked three times. "Nature? It's still early enough if you want to come with me," Foxy said hopefully.

Nature was awake, but she said nothing.

"Nature?"

No reply.

"Nature, please, at least give me a sign you're fine!"

No reply.

Foxy sighed. It was his tenth failed attempt. "That's it," he said, going to the kitchen and looking for a clothes pin. He found one and bent it back. Then, he hurried back to Nature's door and tried to pick at the lock. It opened and Nature did not even acknowledge him. He could not see her face but her hair was certainly fizzy enough. She sat on her bed hugging her legs and stared at the wall.

"Nature, are you okay?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"Go to school, Foxy," she said with no emotion.

"No, I won't. Not without you," he refused. "This needs to stop."

"Go to school, Foxy," she replied with the same tone.

"No! Are you even listening to me?" He snapped and touched her on the shoulder. He quickly retreated though when he felt her body was as cold as negative temperatures. It made him gasp at the touch. "Mom!"

An hour later, Foxy dragged Nature to school with him. Rose had fixed her hair and cleaned her up like it was a makeover, but it was no where's near enjoyable. The Hunters were glad to see her out. She was not happy to see them though. She had almost gone back to her room but Foxy hauled her out of the house.

She cried and struggled and yelled and fought him. Foxy was determined though. She needed light and a little happiness.

Dasher, Nicole, Jewel, and Butterfly noticed he was dragging Nature towards the school. By then, she had given up. They excitingly skipped over to the siblings. Nature jumped up and pulled away from Foxy and folded her arms.

"Nature, dear, how are you?" Jewel asked, getting Foxy's hint about taking it easy with her. She said nothing back.

"Has recovery been good?" Butterfly tried. No reply.

"It's still Prank Season if you want to join me," Dasher scratched the back of her neck. No reply.

"Uh, how's-," Nicole began.

Nature walked past them and away from the school. Foxy barely caught up to her before she was out of view.

"What are you doing?" Foxy questioned.

No reply.

"Nature, come on. You're starting to scare me!"

"Good," she blankly replied. Foxy stopped and other Humans turned their heads.

"What? What does that mean?"

She ignored him and kept on walking, not thinking about where was she or what she was doing. She kicked a stone and glared at the ground as if it insulted her. She felt cold. It was December, but no snow had fell yet.

She turned a corner and saw a couple talking in an ally way. For a moment, she thought the male was Freedom, and something felt like it kicked her in the gut. When she blinked, she saw it wasn't him at all.

Nature thought she should go to the Bakery. It wasn't her shift but it always seemed to calm her. Once she approached the Bakery though, she lost interest and walked on by. She felt like screaming instead. She needed some way to relax, so she went to the park. It was too noisy though.

After wandering for an hour, she stood in front of the castle in Settle Sun. The two guards at the entrance were shocked to see her walk past them. She gazed around for Queen Sun, but she was nowhere to be found. So, Nature went to her office, sat down, and sighed.

Her office was organized with bookshelves, filing cabinets, jars, and drawers. The walls were a grey light blue and the floor was oak wood. Her wooden desk sat in the middle with her office chair with a dark blue rug beneath it. It was suited to her every need and standards, yet something ate at her about it. Perhaps because she was poisoned here?

No, she felt claustrophobic looking around. The room was once comfortable, but now it saddened her. For all she knew, the episode she had with Jack could have tweaked her taste.

She sighed again and got back up. Then, she left her office to go to the Mail and Document Room. She scooped up an armful of papers and got to work. At some point, one of the queen's servants noticed her and told the queen of her whereabouts. Queen Sun jumped at the chance to talk to her right away.

"There you are," Queen Sun said a bit nervously, noting how tired Nature seemed. She walked into the office.

"Hi, your majesty...," Nature sighed tiredly, writing a date down.

"Are you doing okay?"

"Never been better."

"Really? Are you sure? You seem tired."

"I'm fine."

"Oh, okay.... So, you're a Guardian?"

"Sure," Nature sarcastically replied. "If that's what you want to call me, have at it."

"...Sorry, I just, why didn't you come back sooner?"

Nature stopped writing a note down for a moment. "I don't want this."

"Want what?"

"Whatever joke they're playing, it is not funny! I CAN'T be a Guardian. Do I look like defending material to you?"

"Well, you did stop the Dark Magic Monster, so yeah. Kinda."

"Queen Sun, with all due respects, those are actions, and in my defense, I had no idea I had even done it or was doing it! Physically, I can't do anything like them and I don't want to either! I'm built for storing information; not magic and mystery and fighting and disappearing!"

"You do understand you don't have a choice, right?"

"I hate to rain on their parade, but I don't take orders from them. I take orders from you. Besides, I don't know what they do nor do I want to know."

Queen Sun sighed and shut the door. "Guardian Nature-."

"No, please don't call me that," Nature bit her lip.

"...Nature, you cannot control destiny. Just accept it. You don't really even need to do anything new. Just, smile and wave."

"I can't."

"You have to! Either you like it or not, you're... an even bigger reflection on Equality's reputation. The Guardians are a huge part of representing our kingdom. Look, this doesn't have to be a bad thing-."

"It IS a bad thing!"

"Nature, please, calm down! This new "you" does not have to be terrible. You could get more Humans to listen to you about the Hunters like this. You could change Equality if you just give this a chance."

"What if I mess up? What if I make it worse?"

"You won't-."

"You don't know that! I have no idea what I'm capable of!"

"You won't know until you try!"

"That's the problem! I don't want to accidently hurt someone because of recklessness!"

Instead of arguing, Queen Sun took a step back. "I'll let you think about it, alright?" She opened the door and sadly walked back to her throne.

Nature huffed and sank in her chair. She had never argued with Queen Sun before, but she made her point. She shook her head and continued working.

About ten minutes later, two guards outside her door were walking to their next post. They were laughing and talking noisily to each other. Nature covered her ears but it did not help much.

"I can't believe that!" One guard snickered. "He must be losing his mind!"

"Words will do that to you. If he wasn't broken before, he defiantly is now. You should have seen his face," the other guard said.

"Just wait until Nature finds out about it. Now, that will be one hell of a fight to see."

"Fight? I don't know about that. Are we even sure Freedom knows how to defend himself?"

"Don't be a jerk, Smith!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Still, he acts like a zombie now."

"Zombies aren't real."

"Yeah? Well, neither are Guardians then."

"Shut up! You're gonna get us in trouble!"

"Shh, wait! Let's stop here... Oh, Guardian Nature!" A loud banging on her door began. Nature groaned and got up. She opened it just to glare at them.

"What?" She asked harshly.

"Have you seen Freedom?" Smith grinned. She slammed the door in their faces. "Oh, come on! We're all pretty sure we know what's going on between you two!" She opened the door again.

"You know nothing about us! Go away!" She yelled.

"But you see-!"

Nature shoved him out of the way and stormed into the throne room to the entrance. Queen Sun saw the two guards and rose before Nature was gone. The other guards in the room looked at each other like they were about to receive juicy gossip.

"Nature, where are you going?" She asked.

"I QUIT!" Nature yelled, turning around. The servants and guards gasped.

"WHAT? You can't quit!"

"I JUST DID!"

"Nature, wait!"

But it was too late. Nature had run off out of the castle, still furious at the guards.

"What did you two do?" Queen Sun groaned and facepalmed.

"Uh, nothing?" Smith stumbled on his words.

"Well, I know that's a lie."

The clock in the lunchroom at Hillville's school read twelve thirty, and Dasher, Jewel, Butterfly, Nicole, and Foxy were heading to lunch. Foxy was worried about Nature, regretting the decision to drag her out of the house. He tried to push the thought aside, but it remained to taunt him. He was carrying a book from the library about magic, determined to prove magic was science and math, not something spiritual.

The five got their lunches and sat at their usual table. The cafeteria was occasionally split into different groups based upon clubs. A long time ago, when Dasher, Nicole, Jewel, and Butterfly made friends with Nature, they were diverse from one another and felt awkward sitting together. They got to know each other thanks to her. Their table was the only table that regularly was a mixed group. Therefore, they felt no shame having Foxy a part of it.

Princess Guardians was still around testing students to find the perfect three for the Magic Academy, though they were proving to be fatal. Still, she searched and she would search until her mother told her otherwise. She got to have lunch too and with the faculty if she wanted, but she was more interested in observing the students.

Astonishingly, Princess Guardians and Foxy had kept in touch. It was not terrible though. If anything, it was good the princess of Humans and prince of Hunters were getting along. The future would be brighter if they kept the flow running smoothly. Of course, Nature was causing an issue to it, but Princess Guardians was confident the problem could be fixed. After all, Nature was simple to make deals with.

Wow, way to make Princess Guardians sound like she had some kind of scheme behind gaining both Nature and Foxy's trust. Did Nature trust her though? Well, she had no idea since Nature was also difficult to make sense of. Talking to Nature was like talking to a cat. Either she would listen or she would find every excuse to not agree.

No, she had no scheme in mind. In fact, she quite liked Foxy. She admired his potions and natural intelligence. He had a bit of an introverted act but was not afraid to state his opinion. That could easily backfire with the Humans if he was not careful, so she figured she should remind him time to time.

Speaking of potions, they also exchanged recipes for different potions too. It did not take long for Foxy's favorite potion to become Princess Guardians' favorite potion. Invisibility became their common interest along with machinery.

"Foxy, dear, does Nature not like us anymore?" Jewel asked from across the table. Foxy lifted his eyes off the book.

"What makes you say that?" He questioned.

"She hasn't come back yet," Butterfly said.

"She didn't even say hello," Dasher twiddled a fork on her plate.

"No, it's not you guys. She's just been... like that."

"So, we didn't do nothin'?" Nicole raised her head.

"Nothing at all," Foxy shook his head.

"Then, what's her problem?" Dasher groaned.

"... I'm not sure actually. It has something to do with the Guardians. Maybe you guys would know more than I do?"

"Ya live with her. How do ya not know?" Nicole sighed.

"She's very... secretive about things. It got worse as she got older."

"You mean there was a time she wasn't reserved to personal information?" Jewel asked.

"Not exactly. Grant it, she was a totally different person before she started to study scribing. After that, she became distant. We were lucky if she told us more than how her day went."

"What happened?" Butterfly scooted her chair in.

"I don't know. Maybe there was information she wasn't allowed to give, or maybe she saw something she shouldn't have. Who knows? It's Nature. She's unpredictable most of the time."

"Oh, come on, there must be something!" Dasher begged.

"Hm, well, she has this book she constantly writes in. I swear she records everything, even before scribing. If you want answers, it's probably in there. I've never been able to even touch it though. Like I said, secretive."

"Yeah, we've seen it. She's very protective over it like she has something to hide," Jewel nodded.

"Well, she did mention a demon," Foxy shook his head and put the book down. "I'll tell you; we had no idea about that. It was unusual because we would've caught the scent and we never did, not once. But really, does she tell you guys anything?"

"No," Nicole answered. "It's rare."

"Foxy can I ask you a serious question?" Jewel uneasily said.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Does Nature have some kind of disability?"

"What?" He let out a small snicker.

"Seriously."

"Well, I suppose she could be an eccedentesiast."

"What's that?"

"A person who hides their true emotions."

"Really? We were thinking psychotic or sociopath but okay," Butterfly agreed.

"Where did this come from anyway?"

"Well, she mocked Jack to his face like it was nothing. You might have to of been there to understand, but it... it was quite frightening," Dasher put her fork down.

"Yeah...," Foxy trailed off, thinking of a situation from a long time ago about Nature. He had promised to never dare to share the information. That night, Nature was down on her knees begging him not to. Of course, he and his father agreed. "Frightening."

The other four looked at each other unsettled. They were curious where Foxy's mind had leapt to, but they made eye contact with each other, agreeing to drop the topic in case they hit too close to home.

For a relieving moment, Princess Guardians dropped her fifty pounds books onto the table. She pulled a chair out next to Foxy.

"Do you mind?" Dasher snapped. "Those are heavy!"

"So?" Princess Guardians said, getting a bit rude. Foxy counted three books. "Is this seat taken? Too bad if it is because I'm here now." With that, she sat down.

The four teenage girls did not take kindly to her. They never liked Princess Guardians and there weren't many who did. They were only holding back on telling her to screw off because she helped them. The act of kindness was not enough to make up for the years she tormented them.

Princess Guardians spotted the book Foxy had got and reached for it. "Oo, 'The Origins of Magic'. Did I finally convert you?"

"No, I still think your beliefs are crap," Foxy grinned, taking the book back.

"Then, why are you reading about it?"

"To see how many errors of logic I can find."

"You won't find any," Princess Guardians scowled.

"I already have."

"Like what?"

"Where do I begin? Oh, I know! You pick!"

"Teleportation."

"Teleportation is just light speed. It only looks like you're moving through "different dominations". When, in reality, you're moving from one place to another at the speed of light, which would explain why time still moves forward. Do the formula Speed multiplied by Time equals Distance. Ta da! Math and science!"

"Then, explain levitation!"

"Levitation is Newton's first, second, and third law combined. Your brain has access to attract metallic objects and turn it into energy. Your force pushes upwards while the planet's gravitational pull pulls downwards."

"Ugh, fine, you win this time."

Six hours later, the Moon was out earlier than usual, and Nature's family was sitting down for dinner. Foxy had returned home without Nature because he had no idea where she was. He figured she would make it home herself.

Eventually, she did.

Ten minutes into dinner, Nature slammed open the front door. She was freezing and soaked and exhausted. Rose jumped up to go push her into the dining room so she would eat, but Nature shoved her away. Still, she did enter the dining room and sit down. The Hunters were silent, waiting for something, anything would have been nice. They got nothing from her.

"Nature, where did you go today?" Foxy questioned in suspicion. She shrugged. "You don't know?"

Nature sighed and facepalmed, wishing he would leave her alone. She wanted to disappear into an empty void if it were possible.

"For not knowing, you sure are shivering."

"What do you want me to say?" Nature rolled her eyes.

"Well, an explanation would do. You did just straight up disappear!"

"What did you expect from me? A 'Oh, thank you for taking me back out into what I totally was not trying to avoid,' because, guess what, you're not getting it!" Nature yelled.

"What is your problem?" Foxy returned the attitude.

"Why do you care?" She shot back at him.

"Why do I care? Why do I care? What kind of question is that? You are my sister! We are a family! We're supposed to support each other! We talked about this!" Foxy said, hurt by her question.

"Well, it didn't help much!"

"Would you just stop arguing and tell me?"

"No, I don't have to!"

"Why are you being difficult?"

"Because you wouldn't believe me!"

"Why not?"

"... Will you leave me be if I tell you?"

"Sure, why not?" He answered sarcastically.

"I quit my job, scribing!"

Emos choked on his water, the others gasped, and Foxy shut his mouth for a moment. Nature folded her arms and sat back in her chair. Speedy cleared his throat.

"Why did you quit?" He hesitated.

"The pressure decided to invite itself in," she lowered her voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, first of all, Queen Sun decided she was going to talk to me. It was fine at first until she started talking about influence matters. Then, the guards wouldn't leave me alone!"

"Is that it?"

"Ugh, I cannot be a Guardian, alright?"

"So, you quit because you don't want to hear what you can do?"

"I don't know, maybe?"

Speedy took a big breath, unsure of what to say to change her mind. "Why is this change a bad thing?"

"It just is."

"That's not a good enough excuse to hibernate in your room with no communication, or to quit your job. We cannot help you if you don't talk to us."

"You can't help me! There's no way out of this!"

"Then, what is the issue? What is so terrible? Talking about it might at least help."

"No, it won't! Talking will not fix anything!"

Speedy looked over at Rose, looking for support, but she apologetically shrugged. He glanced at everyone, giving an expression for anyone to speak if they could help. At last, Skate spoke.

"You're right, it won't fix your problem, but it can help form a solution. You cannot change a decision that was made for you, probably from birth, Nature. If you don't want to talk, then don't talk. All we want to do is help. We don't... like seeing you in this condition. Please, do something about it. It doesn't have to be tomorrow or the day after. Make it soon though."

After dinner, Nature took a shower, trying to relax her mind. She knew her family meant well, but they didn't understand what she understood. In Equality's eyes, the Guardians were perfect. She was not perfect.

Then, she remembered she quit her job. She worked desperately for the job, but she threw it away like dirt. Why did she do that? Nature started crying, for she knew she had messed up. The change of being a Guardian was taking its toll. She turned the shower off and put her robe on. Then, she put her hair up into a ponytail with a hair tie.

The mirror she had broken was still shattered but the shards had been cleaned. For a moment, she wished the shards were still there. She bit her lip, getting a familiar feeling. She pulled a pocket knife out of her hair and looked it over. She saw her reflection in it as clear as day.

Her hair was straight when wet and her eyes were purple. Her heart pounded, not liking the looks of her. Was she Nature anymore? Or was she someone else?

She felt the tip of the blade, remembering a distant memory of a dark day. She used to not be skilled with swords, but knives were an object she knew how to manage. Those purple eyes turned grey, a lonely grey.

With the thoughts of her past returning, she shook and...

One cut for Jack.

Two cuts for the Guardians.

Three cuts for her family.

Four cuts for her wasted job.

Five cuts for the lives she ruined.

Six cuts for guilt.

Seven cuts for mistakes.

Eight cuts for cruelty.

Nine cuts for forgetting.

And ten cuts for bottled emotions.

There were no tears to shed as she slumped down against the sink. Nature felt nothing. There was no such thing as remorse for herself. She felt she did not deserve pity or privilege.

She rose to her feet, washed the blood away, bandaged the wounds, and stood for a moment. Then, she went back to her bedroom. Instead of changing into night clothes, she had a crazy idea. Everyone was to bed and all she wanted was silence and peace. So, she changed into her school uniform and opened her second door leading to outside.

Temperatures were at least ten degrees Fahrenheit, but she did not mind it like before. She couldn't feel it. There was only one thing on her mind.

Nature, a few years ago while hiking, found a cliff that was high enough to see all of Equality from on top. It stood between Aqua Fell and the Hunters' Territory. Pine, birch, and oak trees were on the outskirts of its tip. The night sky was also clearly visible too. She loved it. She could read off every constellation in the sky.

But tonight, she approached the very tip and looked down. It would be a long fall if someone were to jump. She looked back up at the sky and felt dazzled by it. Its colors came together perfectly. She wished she could touch them.

Nature let her hair loose and the slight wind waved it to her right. She took deep breaths, admiring the moment.

"Nature?" A voice from the trees said. "NATURE!"

She ignored the voice and took a step forward.

"NATURE!" The voice cried, running towards her.

With one more step, her body was carried off the ledge. The weight and pressure pushed down on her like an elevator. The sky was a blur as she fell. Once again, she was greeting death. All she had to do then was close her eyes.

The falling stopped.

Nature felt a warm presence and opened her eyes. They widened when she saw Freedom. He had caught her. He flew back up to the top of the ledge and put her down.

She couldn't look into his eyes, for she felt too guilty. Her legs trembled from the returned gravity. She felt like a hundred bricks.

Freedom caught his breath, ran a hand through his hair, and cried. "What were you thinking?" He yelled. "You could've died!"

"I-," she began but no words escaped.

"Do you have any idea what I would've done if- What's gotten into you? I can't lose you!" He hugged her tightly.

Nature stood in silence letting Freedom embrace her. His scarf blew with the wind. At last, she came to her senses and hugged back. She was so thankful to see him. Freedom pulled her closer and wrapped his wings around them. He was afraid to let go of her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She broke away from him but held both his hands in hers. "This had better not be a dream."

He sadly chuckled. "It's not a dream. I'm here."

"I missed you so much," she teared up.

"I've waited two months to see you again." He pecked her on the lips.

"Where have you been? I waited and waited and waited...," she blushed.

"I had to think. I was going to see you a week ago, but you seemed upset. I thought you needed some space."

"All I need is you," Nature put her right hand on his cheek.

"Your eyes are pink."

"Yeah, they change now or something. You were right, Freedom. We made it. We're alive. I love you more than you can imagine."

"... I have something important to tell you," he said. They sat down in the grass. "While you were gone, I was spending a lot of time with the Hunters. So, remember our secret? They caught on real quickly. You can, uh, thank Foxy for that. Anyway, I was surprisingly spared. Your father gave me a hard time about it. It took a while, but we eventually came to some kind of acceptance with each other. I guess what I'm trying to say is, we don't need to keep it a secret."

"I'm allowed to date you?"

"Yeah."

"That's amazing!" Nature jumped into his arms. "I can't believe they're fine with it!"

"I know. Crazy, isn't it? But there's something else we need to discuss. What's going on with you? When I got to the castle earlier today, it was like a mad house. Queen Sun was losing it. The guards told me you quit scribing."

"Yeah, I was getting annoyed. The guards were pestering me, and Queen Sun wanted me to make an image of myself. It's been a rough day. I cut again..."

"Oh, Nature," Freedom gently said. "I should've come."

"No, it's okay. You're here now. To be honest, I'm kind of glad I quit."

"Why?"

"Because I get to rethink who I am now. I never knew how lost I was, not knowing who I was. I still don't want to be a Guardian. Since I don't have a choice, I might as well do something."

"You're going to make a great Guardian."

"How's that?"

"You're beautiful, imperfect, and just what Equality needs for a change. I believe in you."

"Sir Freedom," she cuddled next to him. "Your father made you wise."

"Should I call you Guardian Nature now?"

"No!" She playfully slapped him.

At that moment, snowflakes started to fall around them and around all of Equality. They were the right kind to stick to the ground.

"Well, would you look at that? Nature's blanket," Freedom caught one.

"You're a flake," she kissed him on the cheek. He blushed and snowflake melted.

"No more jumping off of cliffs."

"I can't promise that."

"Well, here's to a new beginning."

"What should I say? I, Guardian Nature, promise to bring peace and unity to Equality?"

"I think that's a beautiful start," Freedom nodded. "Come on, let's get you home and out of the cold. I'll stay over."

"I'd like that, honey," she teased him.

"Shush!"