Part One, Glitter Paint and Snow

Jack knew kids did a lot of things that didn't have to do with snow. He knew of lots of things that could be fun, things like reading and painting and playing games. Not everyone liked to make snowmen and he respected that. So he kept up to date on all the new methods of entertainment as best he could, as much as one who was mostly invisible could. After all, it was nice to have a few tricks up his sleeve.

So when he found the group of teenagers who seemed to be attacking each other with some kind of projectile, he was shocked to feel the waves of fun coming off of them. Shocked, and confused, and intrigued. He hovered closer, a kind of morbid curiosity driving him forward.

The kids would peek out from behind their respective shelters brandishing some sort of weapon, fire small objects at each other, and then duck back into safety. He could see now that the weapon was a kind of gun that shot round pellets (he had found a few containers of the things) which would splatter on contact. So, in a way, it was like a grown-up snowball fight with weapons and stunts. Jack could deal with that. But still, he thought, you couldn't beat a good old fashioned snow day. One of the pellets hit the wall next to him and exploded into a tiny spray of green paint.

And then he got an idea.

Even after he had carefully filched supplies off North without the yetis noticing, his plan had proved to be more difficult than he had originally thought. It probably wouldn't have worked at all with just regular snow, but this was Jack Frost, and when it came to mischief, he would find a way. And he did, eventually.

It was a snowball. Sort of. It consisted of a hollow ice sphere just strong enough not to break accidentally and just thin enough to disintegrate nicely on impact. He would then fill it with a careful amount of watered-down paint, freeze over the hole and cover the orb with layers of snow.

The next challenge, however, was actually throwing them. If the snowball didn't have the right amount of paint inside, the sloshing liquid would put a different spin on the ball and it would miss. What's more, if he wasn't careful, he'd accidentally freeze the paint inside, which would make more painful and less fun. He practiced on snowmen, trees and rocks of varying heights and distances until he could throw them as flawlessly as if he'd been born to do it. Once he had perfected the paint snowball, the only thing left to do was make more. A lot more.

Jack was practically giddy with excitement as he surveyed his creations. It was time for the maiden voyage.

"And now vee just vait for Jack and Bunny-"

"FROST! YA BLOODY LARRIKIN GET BACK HERE SO I CAN JOB YA-" A positively fuming Pooka warrior burst into the globe room, eyes scanning the rafters for the spirit of winter. There was a short silence as he caught the horrified gazes of the three guardians. Tooth's eyes were wide, her hands covering her mouth.

"B-Bunny-" A choked noise escaped the fairy's fingers. And then the silence was broken by North's booming laughter. Tooth could hold it in no longer and burst into uncontrollable giggles.

"Old friend- what happened?" North managed to say.

"The bloody wanker dumped snow on me!" the Pooka snapped, his eyes scanning the rafters for the doomed winter spirit.

"You-" Tooth squeaked. "You look adorable!"

Bunny caught her gaze and realized he was missing something. He scratched his fur in confusion, only to feel that it was matted down with something sticky. He froze, eyes sliding down to take in his appearance. His carefully-groomed fur was soaked from ears to tail in something bright pink and sparkly. E. Aster Bunnymund, fearless Pooka warrior, was sparkly. A look of complete horror dawned on his face as a very familiar laugh filled the room.

"FROST! Get yer skinny butt down here!" The pink pooka's eyebrows were thickly crusted in shimmering pink and twitched dangerously with each word.

Jack Frost sat on the Globe of Belief, as he was currently laughing too hard to stand. "Oh, I really wish I had a camera right now..." he said, wiping at his eyes. The Pooka lunged at Jack, who leapt into the air and sped off with a whoop, the Guardian meeting long forgotten.

Sandy glanced at the stunned Cossack and giggling fairy beside him. He conjured a calendar and a question mark made of sand.

Reschedule? North could only nod as the yells of Hope and Fun echoed through the halls.

The paint snowballs had worked beautifully, and the glitter certainly added a nice touch. They were unique, accurate, and the snow poofed out in a cloud, but was still damp enough to seep through clothes and fur, disorienting the victim and giving Jack time to escape- or strike again. He mixed it up occasionally with a follow-up of tinsel, feathers, streamers, bows, and a variety of other things. They were becoming somewhat of a trademark finishing touch to his pranks, and each of the Guardians had fallen prey to them at least once. With his new arsenal, Jack vowed never to give them a moment of peace, at least not during daylight hours.

Unfortunately, weeks later he was living up to that promise, and long-suffering had never been Bunny's strong suit.

"A'right ya drongo, I've had it!" the rabbit roared, wiping green paint and confetti from his eyes. "We're settling this, man ta man."

Jack settled casually on his staff, face set in a cocky grin. "What ever do you mean, Kangaroo?"

"A showdown. Jus' you an' me, Frostbite. Your snowballs against my egg bombs; unless yer chicken."

Jack was genuinely disgusted. "Please, Bunny, we both know I'm going to give you the whooping of a lifetime. It's on, Cottontail."

When the other Guardians found out, North would have none of it. "Vee are guardians! Vee protect ze children, ve do not fight each other!"

Tooth hovered anxiously beside him, her tail feathers twitching with worry. "North's right, Bunny, you can't fight each other. What if one of you gets hurt?"

Bunny scoffed. "Aw, come on, Tooth! I'll go easy on the little show pony if it makes ya feel better." He smirked, earning a scowl from Jack. Sandy tugged on North's sleeve, a picture in golden sand forming above his head: two goals, a scoreboard and a whistle.

North stroked his beard thoughtfully. "A competition, you say? Vat did you have in mind?"

The sand formed into two flags with a wavy line separating them down the middle.

"You mean like capture the flag?" Tooth asked. Sandy nodded.

"I guess that could work..." North mused.

Bunny's ears twitched as he rounded on the big man. "You guess?"

Jack perched on a nearby table and cocked a nonchalant eyebrow at the Easter Guardian. "What's wrong, Bunny? Having second thoughts?"

The rabbit shot him an incredulous glare. "'Course not. We both know I'd beat ya with my paws tied behind my back."

"Oh, really?" Jack's grin just oozed a challenge. He crossed his arms and leaned back on the air. "I'd like to see that."

Tooth fluttered forward a bit hesitantly. As much as she didn't want the boys going at it again, it might help to solve one particular problem…. "So if Bunny wins, Jack has to stop making the paint snowballs. And if Jack wins-"

"I get to shave Bunny."

"Wha- NO!" Bunny took an involuntary step back. "Not on yer nelly, Mate. No way."

Jack slipped off the table, obviously loving every moment of having caught Bunny off guard. "Well, look who's suddenly changed his mind! What ever happened to beating me with your paws tied behind your back?"

Bunny fumed. If he backed out now, Jack would never let him forget it and the pranking would continue. But if he lost... The Guardians wouldn't really let Jack shave him, would they?

"Fine," Bunny growled, "a competition it is."

North threw his hands in the air. "It is settled then!" he boomed. "Vee vill make preparations!"

Bunny hoped he wasn't going to regret this later.