Chapter 10:

Jack dodged to the side and sent and ice blast at Pitch. Pitch quickly summoned a barrier of sand to protect himself. He changed his scythe into a whip and snapped it forward, wrapping it around Jack's ankle. He swung Jack around and smashed him into the wall of the house. The whip let go and Jack slid to the ground in a daze.

"You should have joined me when you had the chance Jack," Pitch sighed as he formed his scythe once again. "But you just had to side with Guardians and ruin my plans. Well, you won't stop me this time. I'll make sure of it."

Jack managed to shake away his dizziness just as Pitch swung. He rolled to the side and began running as Pitch continued to swing at him. He tried blasting Pitch but his dodging prevented him from getting a clear shot. Jack leaped into the air trying to put some distance between them. Pitch reformed his whip and grabbed onto Jack once again, slamming him into the road. Pitch flipped his whip and swung Jack over his head before slamming him into the road again.

"Give up Jack," Pitch said as Jack struggled to rise to his hands and knees. "You can't beat me by yourself and there's no help coming. They are all too busy protecting their precious homes. You can't win so you might as well admit defeat."

"Never," Jack spat out, rising to his feet, his staff shaking slightly in his hands. "I'm a Guardian and I won't stop the fight to protect the children."

"And he's not alone!" Sonic called just as he landed a kick on Pitch's head, knocking him to the ground. Sonic bounced and did a little flip in the air, landing on his feet next to Jack. "So it is you that should give up!"

"Sonic," Pitch growled as he stood up, wiping his mouth. "This isn't your fight. This isn't even your world. You should just leave and let us fight out our own battles. Or if you insist on getting involved, it's not too late to join me."

"Yeah... not going to happen," Sonic smirked with a roll of his eyes. "You obviously missed it when I told you I was a hero, not only of my world but now of all worlds. And as a hero, it's my job to help take creeps like you down!"

"Very well," Pitch sneered, standing tall as nightmares came forward around him. "If you insist on fighting me, I'll just take you down with the other Guardians. Attack."

The nightmares charged forward. Jack froze the first incoming wave while Sonic then smashed through them. Sonic then leaped forward, bouncing from nightmare to nightmare, making his way to Pitch. Jack took to the air, giving himself more room to maneuver and able to use bigger attacks without the fear of hitting someone or something he shouldn't. The nightmares rose in the air after him, but he froze any that came close, sending it crashing into its fellows.

Sonic bounced high into the air of the last nightmare, using his momentum to send him rocketing toward Pitch. Pitch acted quickly, summoning a shield of sand before teleporting out of the way. Sonic crashed through the sand and landed on his feet. Dropping into a battle stance, Sonic faced Pitch who appeared not too far in front of him and summoned his scythe.

"You'll die for interfering in my plans," Pitch sneered, swinging his scythe forward.

"Not so confident now that we're on even ground," Sonic taunted, easily dodging the swings before rushing forward. Pitch barely had time to teleport away before Sonic struck the air where he had been just seconds before. When Pitch appeared again, he shot out a spike of sand that Sonic slide under before jumping up and punching Pitch in the jaw. Pitch teleported away again, but with fewer shadows here then in his lair, Sonic had a better time keeping up.

Pitch growled in anger when he was forced to flee again and he summoned more of his nightmares. They intercepted Sonic and forced him back. Jack was also forced to the ground by the sheer amount of nightmares. The two heroes stood back to back, breathing heavily as they looked at all the nightmares surrounding them.

"You okay Jack?" Sonic questioned, giving the winter spirit a briefly concerned glance.

"Never better," Jack replied, keeping his staff ready. Sonic acknowledge his answer with a nod and they both got ready to fight once again. Before they could attack, a small object flew around them and destroyed several nightmares. Following the object to its source, they saw Bunny catch his trusted boomerang as him and the other Guardians came to their aid.

"Looks like you two could use some help," North smirked as he sliced through the nearest nightmare.

"We were doing fine," Jack grinned as he blasted a nightmare. "But we appreciate any help you can offer."

"Our pleasure," North replied as they joined together in a defensive circle, all of them feeling more confident now that they were all together.

"It's such an honor to have all the Guardians here," Pitch sneered, sarcasm dripping from his words. "I'm sure now you believe you can stop me."

"We don't just believe, we know!" Jack declared confidently with a smirk. "You will not be able to get away with your plan now!"

"But you're already too late," Pitch grinned maliciously as the red aura around him and the nightmares began to glow brighter. "Halloween has already begun... Nightmares! Now is the time! Bring me the Fear and energy you've gathered! Bring me my power!"

Nightmares began appearing from every shadow, each of them brimming with red energy. The sheer amount of all the negative energy made Sonic stagger slightly as it overwhelmed his senses. The nightmares surged forward and began to merge with Pitch's body. His form shifted and began to grow in size to the Guardians' horror.

"The time of Guardians has passed," Pitch's voice echoed as the transformation finished. "Prepare to fall before me... the Nightmare King!"