The planet was completely dark, so far away from any stars that it was almost a void. Jack saw Pitch and Nightlight exchange a meaningful look, and he leaped down from the crow's nest, landing with gentle ease on the deck. He swung his staff up to rest on his shoulder and strode over to Pitch, whose lips were pressed tightly together, his sharp eyes resting on the dark surface as the ship glided noiselessly down toward the uneven ground.

"You know where we are," Jack said.

"Yes," Pitch replied, but he said nothing more.

"Nightlight knows, too."

"Yes."

Jack frowned. "Well then, where are we?"

"Tenebris," Nightlight said, landing beside Jack, his spear clutched in his fist as his eyes narrowed at the black mass.

"Which is?"

Pitch finally tore his gaze away from the planet's surface. "My homeworld."

Jack blinked. "Shadow Man went to your home planet? Why?"

"Darkness is a friend of Shadow Man," Nightlight replied as Pitch shook his head, his jaw clenched. "And Tenebris is very dark and deep."

"Deep?" Jack asked, unease working its way into his voice.

"There are tunnels beneath the surface," Pitch said. "Many, many tunnels. They won't be on the surface. If they're here, they'll be in the tunnels. With no light." He studied the planet's still surface again, seeing more with his sharp eyes than either boy could hope to see from this far away, then turned back to Jack. "I will be fine with no light. Nightlight will not need a light for himself. You, on the other hand, need light."

Jack nodded as the ship moved ever closer to the planet. Soon they would land, and then they would have to go down into the tunnels. In the dark. And it wasn't the dark that scared them. It was the creature that waited in those dark tunnels. Jack wanted to flee this still, dark world, but they all knew that there was no turning back. They knew that the moment they saw that net the day before. It was a barrier that was meant to keep prisoners in as well as unwanted guests out, and none of them wanted to relive the terror they'd experienced.

Jack shuddered, wrapping his free hand around his body. Unbidden, the images of Autumn came forward again, Autumn demeaning him, taunting him, beating him without end, telling him that he wasn't a Guardian, that MiM had made a big mistake. Autumn's fist flashed before his face, coming in fast, and Jack yelped, stepping back. Pitch's hands caught him, and he was pulled close. Jack was bewildered for a moment before relaxing into the grip. Of course Pitch knew what was going on. Pitch could read fear like a book.

"It's alright, Jack," Pitch crooned. Nightlight automatically moved to take the wheel.

"How are you okay?" Jack asked, trembling.

Pitch didn't reply, so Nightlight spoke behind them. "I would like to know that, too."

The Nightmare King sighed. "It's a nightmare I am well familiar with. I've lived with it ever since it happened. I can't escape the reality of what happened."

"Nor can I," Nightlight said softly.

"What did you see?" Jack asked, pulling back and wiping his wet eyes.

Nightlight cringed. Neither of them had the nerve to ask what the others had seen. They both knew that Pitch knew because of his connection to fear. There was a moment of hesitation where they were unsure if they could bear to speak of it, but after a few seconds, Nightlight sighed and answered.

"My parents."

Jack paused. Never had he heard Nightlight speak of his time before the Tsar and Tsarina. Pitch's expression was grim as he nodded.

"I understand."

"You saw your parents, too?" Nightlight asked.

"No. I was a child with Obscurus," Pitch said.

No questions followed. They both understood that statement, as much as it disgusted them. It was a more horrifying experience than either of them had, and yet their own fears seemed more real. They glanced at each other, guilt working into their expressions. Pitch shook his head as the ship touched down on the surface of the planet.

"Don't compare," he said. "Fear is a personalized experience. Your fears are just as valid."

Nightlight released the wheel and locked it then stood straight. "Thank you, Prism," he said. "I needed to hear that."

"Me, too," Jack said softly.

Pitch paused then sighed. "You should talk about your fears," he said, crossing his arms. "It will help to allay them. They will be exacerbated in those tunnels."

Nightlight nodded, taking a deep breath. "I know." He shivered. "I do not like thinking of my time with my family, Jack. Even Prism knows little about it."

"And yet I know far more than Lunar," Pitch replied darkly.

The boy of light gave a small smile. "That's true. You were beaten when you were with your own family. Tsar and Tsarina were more my family than anybody else. But I can still see my own parents in my nightmares."

"So…" Jack hesitated for a moment. "What did you see?"

Nightlight clenched his jaw and breathed heavily. "The last day I was with my parents. If you can call it a day. My planet had as much light as this one. I was the brightest thing there, and I fared as well as Prism did when he was a boy. I told him once that those who live in the dark despise the light. I knew that from personal experience."

The boy of light dimmed as he shivered. "They were so angry with me. The Tsar invited me to go with them. The Tsarina was heavy with child, and they knew with their curious wisdom that I had more power than I knew of. When he extended the invitation, I was excited. I craved adventure, light, and a chance to get away. So I accepted, then I went to tell my family."

Nightlight paused. "I had never received such a beating. The words they said I won't repeat. They were the foulest words we had in our culture. I was a traitor in their eyes, and I was no longer welcome. So I stumbled back to the Moon Clipper without a thing. My possessions were all taken by the tribe, and I was too ashamed to knock at the door for many hours. It was the Tsarina that found me, bloody and bruised, half-asleep outside of their ship. She tended to my wounds, and she wiped away my tears. It was then that I became loyal to the Lunanoffs. But in the nightmare, I did not get to the comfort. I was being beaten."

Jack nodded. "Trapped in your scariest moment," he said. "That was my reality, too."

"What did you see?" Nightlight asked.

Jack flushed and turned to glare at nothing. "Autumn."

"Who?"

Jack took a deep breath and let it ease out. Nightlight had no idea who any of the Spirits from Earth were. He hated that he had to go into it, but he finally planted his staff and leaned on it.

"Autumn is the Spirit of the season of Fall on Earth. He was picked years after me by Lunar and turned into the embodiment of his season. He's a grownup. They all are, I guess, except me. And he's a loudmouth braggart that despises me. He bullies me and picks on me and I can't do a thing about it."

"Why not?" Nightlight asked.

Jack glanced at him. "He's bigger and stronger than me."

"While he might be bigger in stature, Frost, there is no way he's as strong as you," Pitch replied.

"He's a grownup!" Jack exclaimed bitterly. "He's got more muscles than me!"

Pitch froze for a moment then did something that neither boy expected. He laughed. It was a startling noise, and Jack and Nightlight stared at him with their mouths agape. And Pitch couldn't seem to stop. Jack grinned, unable to help himself even though he was bewildered, and he met Nightlight's eyes. The boy of light raised his eyebrows and leaned over.

"Watch him," he breathed, his luminescent eyes gleaming.

And Jack's gaze fell upon Pitch again. He gasped, his blue eyes widening at the image before him. The charcoal grey skin was lightening, turning dusky silver, a glimmer of colors ringing his body as the starlight coursed through him. And the longer he laughed, the brighter he became, the more defined the ripple of colors became. And as the rainbow of light lit up the dark planet, Jack finally understood the name that had been bestowed upon the man in front of him by the Tsar and Tsarina. Every inch of exposed skin glowed and sent out refractions of rainbows. It was the most beautiful sight that Jack had ever seen.

"Prism," he hissed, and Nightlight laughed in his ear.

"Exactly. I've never seen anything like it."

Neither had Jack, and he smiled as Pitch finally calmed down. He swiped his sleeve across his eyes and giggled, a boyish noise that made Jack grin with delight.

"Oh, Jack," he sighed. "I haven't laughed in so long."

"Did I say something funny?" Jack asked cheekily.

"Strength is not just muscle, Jack," Pitch said, a bright smile still hovering on his lips. "You never fought back because you didn't think you were allowed to. You're allowed to defend yourself."

Jack blinked. For a moment, he was too surprised to speak. Because that was the issue. He had never had anybody tell him that he was allowed to fight Autumn. The other Guardians had taken the problem into their own hands, but it was Jack's problem, not theirs. And Pitch had just told him the solution. This time, it was Jack that laughed, a brief burst of relief that made Pitch's smile widen.

"Thanks, Prism," he sighed.

Pitch's smile faded. "What?"

"Thanks," Jack repeated.

Something was wrong with the man. The silvery glow that made his skin so unique began to darken. Jack watched in dismay as all joy drained from Pitch's demeanor and darkness flashed into his skin and then his expression. And Prism was there no longer. He was staring at Pitch Black, grim and solemn.

"Why did you call me Prism?" Pitch asked, his jaw clenched.

Jack blinked, staring at the dark man before him. All color and light were gone, but it was still the same person. How was that possible? How could such beauty be contained in such a dark form? Jack looked Pitch up and down, aware of the question that Pitch was waiting for an answer for. He rubbed his chin, tilting his head then spoke, his voice hesitant and unsure.

"You… you lit up," Jack stammered. "All rainbows and silver."

Pitch's eyes widened for a moment before they narrowed. A wall came down, and Jack felt more cut off from Pitch than ever before. Pitch snorted, turning away with a bitter expression on his face. When he spoke, his words were emotionless.

"Very funny, Frost."

"What?" Jack asked. He stared in disbelief at Pitch. "You did! You were refracting!"

"I am no longer able to do that. Don't tease me."

A hint of depression, of anger, was in his tone. And to Jack, this was the most self-deprecating thing Pitch had ever said, and it enraged him. The boy of snow and ice knew that Pitch was special, knew that there was goodness inside of him, and that rainbow of light he saw convinced him of it. He might not know the full extent of Pitch's goodness, of his magic, but he knew enough. And Jack Frost refused to allow Pitch to believe that lie.

He flushed, his cheeks turning purple. "I am not lying, Pitch." The boy grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. Pitch blinked in surprise, catching his balance on the wheel as Jack met his silvery-gold eyes with his bright blue ones. "You can sense lies, right? So, I'll say it again, and you tell me if I'm lying." He paused, stood straight, and said clearly, "You were refracting."

Pitch's cheeks darkened. His eyes were no longer shining, and he looked uneasy. Jack saw a war raging in his mind, and he wished he knew how to touch Pitch's mind like Pitch could touch his. Pitch's expression pinched, and he slumped his shoulders. There was no longer a confident grownup in front of him. Instead, there was pain in his eyes, a deep, aching pain that broke Jack's heart.

"It's impossible," he grumbled, hugging himself like a child.

"Why?" Jack demanded; he wasn't going to back down that easily. "Why is it impossible?"

"Drop it, Frost," Pitch said tightly, trying to turn around.

Jack snagged his shoulder and backed him up against the railing. "No," he replied. "Why is it that you believe you can't refract anymore?"

Pitch searched the earnest eyes in front of him, looking for truth. He finally lowered his head, his bottom lip trembling as he passed a hand over his eyes. "I'm too broken. I'm… I'm cracked."

"That just means that the light can refract even more," Nightlight said wisely.

Pitch hesitated. The two boys weren't lying. He could tell. But how was it possible? He hadn't refracted in years. He needed to be sure.

"I… I really refracted?" he asked, his voice small.

"Just as brilliantly as ever, Prism," the boy of light assured him.

They saw the moment that Pitch Black believed them. His skin lightened a shade, and a small smile graced his face. There was still doubt in his heart, but he knew that something must have happened. He looked pleased as he answered.

"Well, if you say so."

He looked out over the planet the sighed. "We need to get ready. Jack, grab food from the crates. I have a pack for you."

"Food?" Nightlight asked. "Why food?"

"To strengthen Lunar and the Guardians," Pitch replied. "We need to be at top strength. Now, get me a clean sheet of star map paper. We'll see how well I remember those tunnels."

Both boys scrambled to obey, and Pitch strode down the stairs to sit at the navigation table. He had a map to draw. Then they would go down into the tunnels and face their fears yet again. But to Pitch's surprise, he felt more ready than before. And he knew the boys did, too. And for a moment he marveled, then he uncapped the ink and took the paper from Nightlight. After a moment, he dipped his quill in and began to draw.