The earth-shaking bellow sounded again, dislodging bits of ice and rock from the walls. As the group pounded down the seemingly endless hallway, Pitchiner spared a glace behind at the pile of rubble that had once been Mab's throne room. The sound seemed to be coming from within, and that was not a good sign. If that thing got through...They had been lucky the first time. He wasn't certain that luck would hold.

"Boar? Pit? What the heck is going on?" Jack soared beside him, eyes wide.

"Big pig. Reaaaally big. Managed to open up a hole big 'nuff to trap 'im," Bunny panted. "Knew it wouldn't hold 'im forever but I was hopin' it would at least be long enough fer us to escape."

The brown-haired boy, Jamie, said something, beginning to look scared for the first time. His friend with the blonde hair and glasses looked nervous, and spoke in a questioning tone. Jack responded, "Even if it does, we'll deal with it. Just believe in the Guardians. We'll get you out of here."

If? It was a matter of when. Pitchiner's grip tightened on his sword hilt. He was cold and exhausted. The previous battle had taken a lot out of him. Even though it had been a play, the blows had been real enough. He was tired and sore. He just wanted to get out of this frozen hole, wanted to see his daughter again. This human body couldn't take much more of Winter's cold, curse it.

The party had made it perhaps halfway down the great hallway when there was a tremendous explosion behind them. Stone and unnatural blue ice flew in every direction as a massive creature burst out of the collapsed room. The Boar of Ben Bulbain tossed its tusked head, sending rocks flying like toys. It pawed the ground, carving out a deep groove in the stone floor.

For a moment, no one moved. The creature's beady eyes focused on the one thing in the hall it could see easily, and it charged Sandy with a shrill squeal. The little golden Guardian took to the air, and the Boar slammed into a column, shaking more debris loose from the ceiling far above. One cave-in was enough for Pitchiner. They'd have to get out of this icy tomb before the creature trapped them all.

The Boar recovered swiftly, and began charging blindly at whoever happened to be closest to it. Its eyesight wasn't the best, which was about the only thing in their favor. The group scattered. Jack did his best to keep the kids running in the direction of the exit, but it was nearly impossible. Even when it wasn't charging, the Boar would lash out with sharp tusks and hooves at anything or anyone. Sandy and Tooth zipped around its head, trying to disorient it while North and Bunny circled, shouting. The beast squealed in rage, snorting out great puffs of steam. They had to get out of this hallway or they were doomed.

Pitchiner realized that the Guardians were probably better off against the hulking creature than he would be. Even this armor wouldn't protect him against something this large and powerful, and unless they hit a vital point he had a feeling their weapons wouldn't do much more than enrage it further. All he could do now was help Jack get the kids to the surface, where he knew Seraphina was waiting. If they could just get to her... Sandy managed to taunt the Boar into chasing him back toward the throne room, and the others took the opportunity to start running.

The sounds of battle grew fainter, though Pitchiner didn't dare turn back. They ran several feet in silence. This part of the passage was dark, and without Sandy the only light was the pale blue glow coming off of the ice along the walls. They stumbled forward, Pitchiner cursing his inability to see through the blackness. Suddenly, the ground below began to shake, and Sprinkles let out a warning shriek. There were shouts from behind, and something massive struck him hard, knocking him aside like a rag doll. He crashed to the ground, sword flying from his grip. The little Nightmare circled above him, shrieking, and he rolled out of the way as the Boar's sharp hooves struck the earth where he had been a split second before. Sparks flew from the monster's impact. Pitchiner struggled to his feet, head spinning. It was chaos. He could hear shouting all around, from the Guardians and the children. He struggled to regain his bearings.

There was a flash of white and blue, and Pitchiner almost slipped as the ground below him froze solid. The Boar bellowed and struck the wall again. Sliding on the ice, it spun, swinging its massive head. The edge of one tusk caught the side of Pitchiner's armor, and he was flung into the air a second time. He flew across the hall, landing in a heap. He lay where he fell, gasping. Stars blossomed in his vision, and everything hurt. He couldn't even see the others through the gloom now, but the sounds of battle reached him clearly. There were more cries, followed by a thunderous squeal and a loud grinding rumble.

No... The entire hall shook, the very earth trembling, and Pitchiner curled up defensively as black rocks came crashing down around him. No...We've come too far. The sound was deafening as the passageway collapsed. Shards of ice, razor sharp, fell like arrows. He was going to be crushed, or impaled. Perhaps both. Yet he felt nothing... The rumble slowly faded away. There was the sharp clack of a few last pebbles falling, then silence. Pitchiner dared to open his eyes. Somehow, he was spared. Were the others as well? There was nothing but silence, black dust, and the faint ethereal glow of the ice to answer him.

He lay still for a moment, trying to catch his breath before picking himself off the ground. Everything hurt. The hallway was in ruins. The freezing air was thick with dust, and Pitchiner coughed harshly. The action caused blinding pain in his side where the Boar had caught him, and he winced. Probably broken ribs. Again. Only this time there were no Guardians and no Simurgh. He was alone, and trapped. Even Sprinkles was gone. The others must have been on the opposite side of the debris wall, if they weren't under it. Pitchiner shivered. It was too cold and too dark. He remembered the Nightmare's illusion as they had dragged him down. This time, it was real. A glint of silver caught his eye, and he limped toward it. His sword lay shattered where the Boar had tried to crush him. Broken, like him.

A soft sound caused him to look up. Someone spoke in a scared voice, and Pitchiner felt a coldness inside that had nothing to do with Winter. He wasn't alone. The children were there. They stumbled out of the dust cloud, huddling close to one another in the pale light. Pitchiner counted the small shapes. Seven. All seven of them, trapped here with him. They looked up at him with wide eyes. The tall girl asked him something, though all he could understand was the name "Jack". Pitchiner shook his head helplessly. The brown-haired boy, Jamie answered her, sounding more confident than he looked. Probably telling her that Jack will save them. He's the one that never stopped believing. Pitchiner picked up the hilt of his shattered sword, tucking it into his belt. He could have accepted this miserable fate alone, but he couldn't just let these children die with him. He had to find a way out.

Even if the Guardians were unhurt on the other side of the wall, there was no telling how long it would take them to get through it, especially if the Boar had survived as well. It had made it through the collapsed throne room, after all. He doubted the kids could take much more of this cold and darkness. He rubbed his aching head and tried to think. A glimmer of hope sparked in his mind. That's it! The throne room. The Boar must have cleared a passage through it from the opposite side. With the creature gone, they could leave through Knocknarea.

"Follow me." He gestured down the hall and began stumbling toward the throne room, hoping they'd get the idea. Pitchiner remembered that one of them, that Aislinn girl, was from Ireland. "Knocknarea." he said to her. She stared at him for a moment, then bobbed her head. She spoke quickly to the others, and they nodded as well. Aislinn turned back to him, and her eyes widened. She pointed behind him, but before Pitchiner could turn a blast of Arctic cold struck him in the back, knocking him to the ground. He hissed in pain.

"You. Interfering. Mortal." Mab snarled. Pitchiner struggled to his feet, trying to put himself between her and the kids. So, the Queen of Air and Darkness had survived. Fate seemed to have decided that Kozmotis Pitchiner wouldn't be able to die in peace. Mab hadn't escaped the cave-in unscathed, but she looked more than able to fight. Shadows swirled around her, oily blackness that Pitchiner had once controlled. "I will freeze you to the core and shatter your bones. And I no longer feel like offering Jack Frost a bargain. All your lives are forfeit."

"My bones are already shattered." Pitchiner glared at her. He couldn't let her see how weak he was. He had to save these children. The cold washed over him, coating his armor in a thin layer of ice. The swirling darkness made him uneasy, though he knew it was just the influence of the Fearlings. He heard some of the kids cry out in fear.

He should have enjoyed that sound. These kids had caused his downfall. They were the reason he was here. They were the reason he was weak. He should hate them, but all he could think of now was that he had to protect them. Being afraid of a bad dream was one thing, fearing for your life quite another. Mab meant to harm them, to kill them, and there was no way he'd allow it. Not even Pitch Black would have allowed that. Pitchiner clenched his fists. He couldn't stop the cold, but he could fight the fear.

"Have courage," he said to the kids, though he knew they couldn't understand his words. They huddled behind him, shivering. Turning to face the Faerie Queen, Pitchiner drew his shattered blade, raising what was left of it toward Mab. "I will not allow you to harm them. Your quarrel is with me." She only laughed, the blade of ice forming around her hand.

"I will have my revenge, and I will have my Winter." She lunged forward. Pitchiner barely managed to counter the crystalline weapon with his own. She was stronger than him, even wounded. He struggled to push her back. If he could get even one good slash in with the starlight silver blade, that would be something. Injure her enough to allow the children to make a run for it. Mab shot toward him again, only to be hit right in the face with a dusty snowball. It stopped her for the briefest of moments. Pitchiner spared a glance at Jamie, then darted forward, unhooking the cape from his shoulders. "Little brat!" the faerie snarled. She wiped the shimmering blue from her eyes, and made to attack the boy. Pitchiner leapt in front of her, brandishing the crimson fabric like a matador. He spun quickly, trying to entrap her in the flowing material.

Mab hissed in anger, trying to slice the fabric and keep it from tangling her wings at the same time. "Fools! You think -" Another snowball cut her off, and Pitchiner managed to secure her sword arm.

"Annoying isn't it?" He managed a grin. "Oh but I feel for you. I have to admit, watching it happen to someone else is rather amusing." He raised the broken remnant of his blade. "But, I'm afraid I'm going to have to end this, Your Majesty. I will not allow you to harm these children." He brought the weapon down.

Pitchiner had underestimed her strength. The faerie Queen sprang into the air, pulling him forward. She spun her arm, in one neat movement slicing through the fabric that bound her and meeting Pitchiner's broken blade. However, Mab must have also underestimated her own weakness. Her blade of ice shattered from the impact, and Pitchiner managed to nick her hand. She let out a screech, shooting into the air well above Pitchiner's range. Her silver eyes smouldered. He met her gaze. After a moment, her expression changed. She shook her wounded hand delicately, and grinned. Pitchiner felt the temperature drop even further.

"Look at you, Kozmotis Pitchiner. First you played king, and now you're playing soldier? How cute." Mab raised her arms. Ice and snow began to swirl around her. "Hand-to-hand combat is so clumsy, though. Magic is much more elegant." The wind picked up, swirling black dust and sharp little icicles. Pitchiner knew there was no way he could protect the children from a blast of pure Winter, but he stood his ground. He could feel their eyes on him as they huddled together in a little knot. As Mab readied her attack, Pitchiner swore he heard a quiet voice behind him. His eyes widened.

"I believe in you."

Mab grinned. "Farewell, little shadow." She swept her arms forward, loosing the gale on them. Pitchiner closed his eyes, throwing up his arms in an attempt to shield himself and the kids. He heard Mab's chill laughter, and the rush of freezing wind. This was it, he could do no more. I'm sorry. He braced himself. But...there was no cold. No ice. There was only silence.

The expected blast didn't come.

He raised his head. A wall of shimmering black rose in front of him, the edges spiked back and frozen. He'd seen something like this before. In Antarctica, when he'd blocked Jack's attack with... His dark dreamsand. But how?

"You can do it. You're scarier than she is." Jamie looked up at him with wide brown eyes. Somehow, Pitchiner found he could understand those words.

"Yeah, and I bet Jack's ice is waaaay colder than that." The slender girl, Pippa, added.

From behind the the jagged sculpture, Mab snarled "This is impossible! You have no power, mortal!" She shot around the around the shimmering monolith, partially-reformed sword aimed straight for Pitchiner's heart. He raised a hand swiftly, and purple-black sand rose along with it, deflecting her blow. "Impossible!" She hissed again, silver eyes shimmering with rage.

It was impossible. Pitchiner no longer felt cold, or tired. The ache in his side was gone. But how? The dark dreamsand swirled around him, its movements obeying his every thought. It felt so familiar, yet there was something different about this sand. It felt more powerful. Unlike the old dreamsand, which had come from Sandy, this felt like it was uniquely his. There were silver flecks mixed in with the crimson, maroon, and blue. Pitchiner flexed his fingers. Oh, it felt good to have this back. He raised an invisible bow, launching an arrow of iridescent darkness at the enraged faerie. She barely managed to dodge it, still staring at him in disbelief.

"You're a mere mortal!" She sent a barrage of icicles at him, but he brushed them aside easily with a sweep of sand.

"No he's not! He's the Nightmare King!" Cupcake stepped forward, arms crossed defiantly. There was an ear-piercing shriek, and a full-sized Sprinkles charged Mab, nearly knocking her into the jagged mass of frozen dreamsand. "And that's a Nightmare. She's mine, her name is Sprinkles. I thought of all the scariest things I could, and I guess that made her happy!"

The Nightmare pranced around Pitchiner, tossing her spiked head proudly. She now had the same strange silver sheen covering her, and her eyes shone silver as well. He ran a hand over her side, confused. Where had the pale flecks come from? On a hunch, he scanned the ground for the shattered remains of his sword. They were gone.

"Ya gotta have iron. Or in your case, star-silver-whatever!" Aislinn smiled fiercely. "I believed it would help ya. Don't disappoint me!"

"Yeah, you can beat her!"

"You're way scarier!"

A wolflike grin began to spread across Pitchiner's face. He understood. After nearly two thousand years, he finally understood. How had he been so blind before?

Mab clutched her arm, face contorted with rage. "Scary? I will show you scary." The writhing darkness surrounded her, forming evil little shapes that began to slither toward the kids. Pitchiner remembered those. Fearlings. He'd kept the vile creatures at bay for so long, trapped them in his mind where they could only harm him. Now Mab had released them back into the world. "I'll make you writhe in fear, then freeze you solid. You'll make lovely decorations in my new palace."

Jamie kicked one of the crawling shadows, while Caleb karate-chopped another. "Man, you think we're scared of these things? You missed the flood of Nightmares. Now that was scary. What are these guys? Blob-monsters?"

Pitchiner's grin widened. "Do you hear them, your Majesty? They're not afraid of you. Do you know why?" He laughed, the dark dreamsand swirling around him like a living thing. He'd never felt so much power, not even during the Dark Ages. It flowed around him, through him. Pitchiner fell back into the darkly shimmering cloud, letting the familiar blackness surround him. This darkness was on his side. It obeyed him and protected him. As it should. His laughter increased in volume. How he'd missed it. Now, what to do? Gold and crimson no longer suited him. The armor felt clunky, and much too showy. Simple black was best. It always had been, hadn't it? The only gold he needed was the little locket clasped around his neck. He slid through the shadows, calmly stepping out behind Mab. He had returned to the form that he had existed in for millenia, the form that he belonged in. "Because I am Pitch Black. The Nightmare King. I am fear."

Mab leapt backwards, eyes wide. "No! I have your Fearlings. I...I took your power!"

"You did." Pitch sneered at her, waving a pale gray hand toward the children. "And they have given it back. They believe in me. You can keep the Fearlings, Mab. I've no use for such unsightly, weak creatures." He laughed again, the sound echoing through the dark cavern. "Now children, let's show her Majesty what real fear is. I need your scariest thoughts, your most terrifying Nightmares! Face your fears, and turn them to me!"

Sprinkles shrieked, and the call was echoed by another voice. And another. And another. Nightmares swirled into existence, circling the room in a sea of black bodies and shining silver eyes. Oh, how he'd missed them. They were so much more refined and graceful than the Fearlings. They were intelligent. They were his. They weren't enough, though. He had better plans. "Yes, that's it," he purred. "I think this calls for more than simply Nightmares." He gathered the creatures together in a tangled mass. "How about … a Night Terror? What do you think, everyone, how do we make it absolutely horrifying?" He gave the kids a toothy grin.

"Giant claws!" shouted Claude.

"Sharp fangs!" Caleb added.

"Spider legs!" said Monty nervously.

"Bat wings!" Pippa yelled.

"Horns!" called Cupcake.

"A snake tail!" Aislinn bounced up and down.

"Three heads!" Jamie punched the air.

The swirling darkness took shape, a monstrous chimaera of dark dreamsand that loomed over Mab and the others. Its fangs and claws shone with the brightness of starlight silver. Pitch stood atop the Night Terror's center head, hands clasped behind his back. He regarded Mab calmly. "You cannot win, Mab. Do you understand? The courage of these children strengthens my fear. My darkness is deeper than yours because they believe it to be so. Jack and the Guardians will triumph because these children believe in them. As will I."

"The Guardians are gone, my Boar has seen to that." Mab hissed. "Your belief means nothing! Now, join them!" She sent an blast of ice shards hurtling toward the knot of kids. The Night Terror blocked them easily with its serpentine tail, then sent her crashing into the pile of rubble with a quick sweep. Mab let out a howl, the silver mixed in with his dreamsand hurt her. She shook herself and took to the air once more, trying to attack the chimaera with her frozen blade. One head lunged forward, snapping the weapon easily with its silver fangs. It lashed out again with its tail, sending her crashing to the ground.

Pitch strode forward, gliding off the Night Terror's head towards the fallen faerie. He summoned a weapon, a sword of dark dreamsand. Mab had taunted him about playing soldier, but he never played at it. He was a soldier, a general, and he'd use a sword from now on. The scythe belonged to the old Pitch Black. He pointed the dark weapon at her. "Who is the little shadow now, Mab? You have your half of Winter, and the Fearlings. Keep them. Rebuild your palace if you must, but do not seek to upset the balance of Nature again, or hurt the children of this world. If you do, we will stop you." He stepped back from her, letting the sword dissipate. He was once again the Nightmare King, and she was no longer worth his time. They were done here. He turned, prowling back toward the children. "Now, let's get you out of here. I'm sure the other Guardians are beside themselves. Wont' they be surprised?"

"Pitch, behind you!" Jamie shouted.

He spun, summoning his sword as he did so. He struck Mab a second before she would have run him through. Her expression was a fearsome mix of rage and horror. Darkness began pouring out from the cut. Mab screamed at him, her body dissolving into the cloud of black smoke that she had first appeared as. "I will not vanish. One day, Nightmare King. One day I will return." She spat.

"I'm shaking with fear." Pitch's lip curled. "You know, Mab, if you do return, you should think about taking a different form. I don't know, how about Shakespeare's?" He spread his arms theatrically.

"O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.
She is the fairies' midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate-stone
On the fore-finger of an alderman,
Drawn with a team of little atomies,"

The dark cloud shrank back. "No! Stop that, you accursed creature. I hate that poem! THAT ISN'T ME!"

Pitch smirked, and continued:

"Athwart men's noses as they lies asleep;
Her wagon-spokes made of long spinners' legs,
The cover of the wings of grasshoppers,
The traces of the smallest spider's web..."

The cloud imploded in on itself, and Mab vanished with a final shriek of "DAMN SHAKESPEARE!" Silence fell in the cavern. The children looked around the dark hall. Aislinn stared at the spot where Mab had vanished, then at Pitch.

"Is she gone?"

"For now. Beings like her can't be destroyed, only weakened." He brushed off his tunic. "Now, let's get you out of here." He waved a hand at the Night Terror, and the dreamsand monster began to dig into the pile of rubble. It moved the stones with the same ease as the Boar had. Jamie watched it toss the boulders aside, a thoughtful look on his face. Pitch glanced down at him, regarding him with wonder. "Why, boy? You fought against me before. Why have you given me back my power?"

"There's always going to be scary things in the world." Jamie's brown eyes gazed up at him. "But I guess that's how it's supposed to be. If people didn't get scared, then how would they ever be brave?"

"Yeah," added Aislinn. "An' some people like getting' scared. What about Halloween? Or watchin' horror movies?"

"And reading ghost stories at night!" said Pippa. "Sometimes, being scared is fun."

"Yeah! Uh, what they said." Monty didn't look entirely like he agreed with his friends.

"And besides, I don't think you're like Mab. Not really." Jamie said. "I know you did what you did before 'cause you were scared too. You were afraid we'd stop believing in you." He smiled. "But you're also really brave. You stood up to the Headless Horseman! And you were ready to protect us today too, even thought you didn't have your power. That must have taken a lot of courage."

"I see." Pitch said softly. He had been wrong before. He'd tried to make them believe in him, but it didn't work that way. He knew that now. The reason he felt so strong was because these children wanted to believe in him, just as they wanted to believe in the Guardians. It was something that had never happened in all his long centuries of existence. They wanted Pitch Black to be the Nightmare King. Not only that, but now he understood why.

"It's clear!" Cupcake shouted suddenly. Pitch snapped out of his thoughts, and saw that the Night Terror had cleared the passage. Its job finished, the creature shimmered and broke back into a herd of Nightmares. Sprinkles raced away from the others, prancing up to him. He stroked her head.

"I'm afraid you can't sit on my shoulder anymore. You'll just have to walk by yourself now." She snorted at him huffily, and he grinned. "Let's go." They started down what remained of the passageway. There were piles of debris everywhere, and it looked as if the Boar had been determined to destroy every single surface it came into contact with. There was no sign of it or the Guardians. Pitch supposed that was a good thing. The passage began to slope upward, and light finally appeared ahead of them. The children began to run with renewed vigor. Pitch had never been so happy to see light in his entire existence.

They stumbled out into the world above. Storm clouds were rapidly receding, and the sun began to shine down. The air smelled of ozone, and Pitch felt his hair prick up with static. Seraphina stood calmly in the center of the field, looking severely at the great Boar. The creature was on its side, flailing feebly inside a ring of scorched earth. Bits of static electricity jumped across its bristly fur, and what looked like little electric butterflies drifted over it before vanishing. All five Guardians were sprawled in the grass at various intervals around it. Further back, what appeared to be a Black Dog was trapped under a mass of cheerfully flowering vines.

"You...could...have...warned...us..." Jack wheezed.

"It was just a bit of lightning. Haven't you ever been in the middle of a thunderstorm before? Get up, all of you, we have to-" She cut off, noticing Pitch and the kids.

"Jack!" Jamie threw himself at the ice sprite who had just barely managed to stagger to his feet, sending him sprawling again. "You'renotgonnabelieveitwebeatMabandtherewasaNight Terrorand-"

"Whoa there...Jamie? Jamie! What? Wait, you're safe! How..." Jack managed to sit up, hugging Jamie. His eyes fell on Pitch and the Nightmares, an expression of disbelief crossing his pale face. "What...happened?" The other Guardians began to recover, crowding around the kids, faces shining with relief. Then they noticed Pitch.

"He saved us from Mab!" Cupcake said. All eyes turned to him.

Seraphina glided up silently. Her green eyes met his. "Seraphina. It's me. It's still me." He reached out, cupping her face in his hands. "I swear to you. They saved me. By believing. In me." He thought she was going to pull away, disown him, or maybe strike him with a lightning bolt like she had the Boar. Instead, she smiled and embraced him.

"I will demand an explanation for this later, Father." She said in a muffled voice.

"Mother Nature is your daughter?" The kids stared at him. Pitch felt that he had just lost several fear points. He'd have to make them up someday. He tried to quickly change the subject by gesturing at the electrified Boar and floral-scented Black Dog.

"I will give you an explanation, assuming you in turn explain...this."

Bunny hopped over, his fur poofing out in all directions. "We have been fightin' that bloody pig since th' cave-in. I didn't think we'd make it outta that hole, an' we almost didn't."

"We didn't...didn't know what happened to the children," Tooth still looked shaken. Her feathers, like Bunny's fur, were still puffed out from static. "We tried to get to the rocks, but that beast wouldn't let us."

"Kept on running toward exit." North attempted to smooth out his beard. "Was all we could do. There was zigging and zagging and falling rocks. I thought we were done for, but somehow we made it out here. Soon as we got out of cave...BOOM! Mother Nature zaps everything with lightning. Including us."

"You left me little choice, it would have destroyed the entrance if I hadn't stopped it." Seraphina said unapologetically. "It's much more reasonable now that it can't move, and it promised to go back to Sligo as soon as it can get up again. I highly doubt it will break that promise. Will it." That last was a statement. The Boar squealed weakly. "Didn't think so."

"We've still got one problem left." Bunny glared at Pitch. "Him. No offense, Mother Nature, but...we can't jus' have the Nightmare King roamin' free again."

"What if...he becomes a Guardian?" Jack had been speaking with the children as the others recounted their Boar-fighting adventures, but he now stepped forward, blue eyes fixed on Pitch. There was a gasp from the others.
"Jack, we already tried this," North glanced around nervously.

"Yeah, but from what you said that was centuries ago. I get the feeling some things have changed since then. Haven't they?" Jack continued staring, and Pitch met the frost sprite's gaze. "Besides, if you ask me, he did a pretty horrible job of not protecting kids today." Jack crossed his arms. The children gathered around him, watching Pitch.

He knew it would be Jack who asked him. Jack was the only one who ever saw him as anything other than an enemy to be defeated. Become a Guardian. Pitch thought about the Guardians' Oath. He knew the words, he'd heard them recite it before. It had sounded so ridiculous, like so much wistful thinking. Pitch had decided long ago that he'd never subscribe to them.

Such silly little words, and yet...He understood the truth of them now. His choice had been made. He'd taken that oath the moment he decided to face Mab alone and unarmed. He had risked his life to protect Jamie and his friends, and in turn they had saved him. They had returned his lost power to him. More importantly, they had given him his purpose. He was the Nightmare King. He was fear, and darkness. And...he was a Guardian. He knew what his center was.

"But Guardian of what?" Bunny was incredulous. "What does he bring into this world, but fear? That's not something fit for a Guardian, mate."

"Courage, Rabbit." Pitch straightened, holding his head high. "That is what I bring into this world. If you do not know fear then you cannot know courage, they are inextricably linked. You cannot know how far you can go, or how strong you can be." He turned to Jamie. "That is my center, but I was blind to it until you and your friends opened my eyes." The boy smiled. "However," Pitch raised a finger. "I am still the Nightmare King. Now that you have given me back my powers, I will test your bravery in every way I know how. Are you prepared for that, children?"

"You wanna scare us now, you're gonna have t' work for it!" Aislinn stated. "I mean, lookit what we've already done. I wasn't even there for the Nightmares or the Headless Horseman, but we got kidnapped by faeries, chased by a Boar, and faced Mab herself. We'll face whatever you wanna throw at us!" The others nodded, some with more certainty than others.

Pitch smiled. "Good. I like a challenge. Fear will always exist in this world. The important thing is that you find the strength to face it."

"Whoa, whoa, you aren't serious about this, are you?" Bunny looked from Pitch to Jack to the children. "He's like, the opposite of what we are!"

North stood in silent thoughtfulness for a moment before nodding. "Yes. And that is why it works. I see now. We are complimentary. Hope, wonder, dreams, memories, fun. And courage. These things shine bright because they conquer fear. But." He regarded Pitch.

"But if there were no fear in the world, then none of those things would have any value. Every light casts a shadow. But there can be no shadow without light." Pitch finished. He shot Bunny a sideways glace. "Do you see now?"

"I see. I don't like it, but I see." He scowled.

"Is there anything you do like?" Pitch rolled his eyes, and Jack shook his head, amused.

"You do have a point," Tooth hovered in front of him, shaking a fist in his face. "And the children seem to trust you. But if you ever try anything funny I will knock out your other teeth. Got it?"

Sandy looked as if he were sizing Pitch up. He thought for a moment, then nodded.

"So we are agreeing then?" He paused. "Unfortunately I do not have book here, I cannot make it official." North actually looked disappointed.

"I can." Seraphina stepped forward. "Kozmotis Pitchiner. Will you follow the Oath of the Guardians?"

"We will watch over the children of Earth

Guide them safely from the way of harm

We will guard with our lives their hopes and dreams

For they are all that we have, all that we are

and all that we will ever be."

Those words had sounded so childish and silly before. No longer. He nodded solemnly.

"I will."

"Then, by the power the Moon has given me, you are now the embodiment of Courage, the sixth and last Guardian of Chidhood."

"THEN, IS OFFICIAL!" North boomed, spreading his arms.

Pitch took a step back. "North, if you kiss me I swear by the stars and Moon I will end you."

Jamie giggled, then sneezed. "Aw man, I hope I don't get a cold from all that cold!"

"Oh no!" Tooth zipped over to him. "North, we've got to get everyone home! Their parents must be worried sick! Oh, how are we going to explain this? This is awful! Maybe I can ask the Simurgh for a memory potion..." The other Guardians all began shouting at once, kids chiming in. Pitch sighed, gazing at his daughter.

"What on Earth did I get myself into?"

"You'll do just fine, Father. I believe in you."

There was a mournful howl from behind them. "Um, can I go home nooooooooow?" asked the Black Dog from its flowery prison.

...

I am Kozmotis "Pitch Black" Pitchiner, the Nightmare King and Guardian of Courage

I am the last Guardian, and the gatekeeper

I make certain the young are ready to enter the world beyond Childhood

If you lose sight of the light and fall into darkness, I will be there

I will make you face your fear and find your courage

And I will not go easy on you

You must believe

Never forget your treasured Memories

Never forget the Wonder of this world

Never lose Hope

Follow your Dreams

Have Fun

And...

Show me your Courage

Here in the deep shadows, I'll be waiting.

Hehehe.

Sweet dreams.

Author's Notes: Welp. There you have it. I finished this monster, somehow. For all of you that have stuck with me since this crazy adventure started, thank you. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it. I don't know how good I am at writing epic final battles, but I hope I did this one justice. When Pitch wants to be flashy, he does it right.
In case you didn't figure it out, the passages that Pitch quotes here are from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet".
Once again, I hope you enjoyed it, and never stop believing!