Pitch stood in the shadows as over a hundred spirits crowded into the auditorium of the ship. It used to be the place where Lunar's father decided important things with other leaders of the Golden Age. Now it was a meeting space for Lunar and the spirits of Earth. Many of them had never been to the moon before, and yet there wasn't the customary excitement that usually came with a first visit. Instead, there was bickering and snapping, and North, Sandy, and Bunnymund had already broken up three fights. Pitch knew what that meant, and he wasn't looking forward to it. Lunar simply stood by him, his unearthly glow diminished to almost nothing. He wasn't pleased.

"I'm going to speak to them," Lunar murmured. He took several steps forward and clapped his hands once.

The noise echoed in the room like a clap of thunder, and silence fell immediately. The gazes of the spirits were hostile as they looked up at Lunar. Pitch pressed back into the shadows. This was a crowd, and their fears were straining against his mind, from little pinpricks to the sensation of a knife scraping against his consciousness. A specific fear that lingered in each heart was that something was wrong and that it would never be right again. A hand brushed his, gripping it tightly. He jumped and turned to see Jack standing beside him. Nightlight stood back to keep him in the dark, but the boy nodded encouragingly.

Lunar appraised the group. "You all know something is amiss with yourselves."

"Aye," the Leprechaun said, crossing his arms as his green eyes blazed. "Unluckiest time in my life!"

There was a rumble of agreement, and a fair girl stepped forward. Her dress was covered in sunflowers, but it reminded them of wilted petals. Her beautiful golden gaze seemed to see everything.

"MiM, we are scared. I am not as blinded as the others, and I don't know why, but anger is in every heart here. There are no spirits who aren't affected."

"Not true. There is only one of you who has escaped this anger," Lunar corrected gently. He turned and gestured for Jack to join him. So Jack squeezed Pitch's hand reassuringly then hefted his staff over his shoulder and strode forward. He grinned at the shocked faces. "This, as I'm sure you know, is Jack Frost. He is unaffected by the veil that has descended on you."

"Why?" Autumn demanded, shoving forward to stand at the front.

There was a twinge of anxiety from Jack, but otherwise, he was fearless. He no longer feared the Fall spirit's fists. He had gone on an adventure through the stars, fended off a Void Serpent, and finally faced the darkest being in the entire galaxy. Autumn was easy compared to that. Jack leaned on his staff and flashed his teeth again.

"Because I'm a kid," he said proudly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Autumn snarled.

"Quite a bit, Autumn," Lunar said coolly. "Obscurus could not veil a child. Jack is young enough physically, mentally, and emotionally that he couldn't hide the truth from him. The reason you, Summer, are not as veiled is also because of your young age. You have enough child left in you that he could not fully take you over."

Summer, the girl in the sundress, nodded, looking thoughtfully at her Winter counterpart. "I see. Is there a way to fix this… veil?"

"There is," Lunar said. "There is only one way I know of. Do you all trust me?"

There wasn't even a moment's hesitation as they chorused an emphatic yes. So Lunar took a deep breath then turned and gestured for Pitch. The Nightmare King shuddered, hesitated, then stepped into the light. He hated being in crowds, he hated being the center of attention, he hated being stared at, and all three were happening. And the gazes switched from hostile to downright murderous. Immediately, there was a movement toward Pitch, and though North, Bunnymund, Sandy, and Toothiana tried to keep them back, there were too many. Lunar stepped in front of Pitch, and then he transformed into the Tsar. Light shone from his core, and there were screams of bewilderment and fear as everybody drew back in shock. Lunar floated into the air, his brown eyes aflame.

"Enough!" he stated, his voice holding more authority than anybody had ever heard before.

Jack had never seen Lunar show off his power, and he was fascinated, but a flash of movement to the right of Lunar's outstretched arms caught his attention. Autumn had a knife in his hand, heading straight for Pitch, who was mesmerized by his friend's power. Jack snarled and lunged forward. He hit Autumn with such force that the spirit flew backward, the knife clattering to the ground. Autumn roared in anger, swore at Jack, then lunged for his throat. Jack, in his haste to get away, stumbled, and Autumn was quickly within an inch of his windpipe. A burst of fear, potent and all-consuming, shot from him, and Pitch snarled. Lunar moved to protect the boy, but Pitch moved faster. Shadows raced from him, his eyes took on an unearthly silvery-gold glow and he rose up in front of Jack, baring his teeth.

"If you touch him," Pitch said into the shocked silence. "I will make sure you know what fear is."

The silence stretched on, and all eyes were upon the gold and black beings that lit up the room. Lunar stared at Pitch in surprise. Then he reached out and touched him. At the gentle touch, the shadows receded and Pitch landed on the floor again. His dark face was not smiling as he took in Autumn's pale face. Then he stepped back, jerked Jack to his feet, and shook his head.

"Don't run. Fight him!" Pitch barked into Jack's mind.

Jack, with wide eyes, nodded and turned to face Autumn. "Back off," he said coldly.

"Or what, boy?" Autumn spat.

"You'll find out," Jack said grimly. "Now shut up. Pitch's prismatic display is the only thing that can cut through the veil."

"Prismatic display?" Autumn laughed. "There is no color in that man! He deserves to die."

"Why?" Jack demanded, planting his staff on the floor. Frost erupted onto the floor at his feet, a warning that Autumn didn't heed.

The Fall spirit stepped forward, getting right in Jack's face. "Because he is evil."

"No, he's not," Jack said quietly, another warning sign.

"He is. And if you like him, I get to kill you, too."

Autumn's first strike was fast, and Jack gasped, staggering back. Sandy narrowed his eyes and he and the other Guardians stepped forward to help, but Pitch suddenly slid over and shook his head.

"This is Jack's battle. Let him be. He can do this."

"Hard when you can't fly away, isn't it?" Autumn crooned.

Jack got his feet under him then twirled his staff. The temperature of the room plummeted. Big, fat snowflakes began to flutter down from the center of the ceiling. Autumn was undeterred and ran at Jack, who actually laughed. Then, without calling upon any wind, Jack leaped into the air and flew, his blue eyes full of fire.

"I don't need the Winds," he said icily.

The force of the snowy blast that hit Autumn was startling in its power. Snow exploded in a torrent of drifts off of him, burying him completely. Jack threw his head back and laughed.

"How's that, Autumn?" he crowed as Autumn scrambled out of the snow. "You just got your butt kicked by a boy!"

And suddenly, there was another voice raised in merriment with the boy's. Every eye turned to Pitch, whose laugh sounded very out of place. The Guardians all looked surprised, yet eager to see the lights they couldn't remember. They got their chance because Pitch didn't stop. Lunar's golden glow seemed to have a magic sort of of refraction into Pitch's skin, because a silvery mist seemed to descend upon everybody. The rainbow lights began to shine brightly and those in the first few rows gasped at the light then scrambled at their skulls, as if something were bursting to get out. Autumn gaped dumbly at the display, and Jack grinned.

"Watch this!" he laughed then formed perfect ice crystals and flung them our across the room.

Immediately, the silver mist brightened and the rainbow light seemed to be sucked toward the crystals. The colors flashed across the room, reminding Jack of the seventies and disco, and then there were cries. The whole room seemed to be shuddering and shaking and then they fell. And Pitch continued to laugh, shining brighter than the stars.

When he finally began to calm down, a silly grin was plastered on his face. At that moment, the Guardians all saw the crystalline skin that had marked Pitch as a boy. He smiled at Lunar, whose glow diminished back into his normal, silvery gleam. He looked pleased as he approached Pitch.

"Thank you, Prism," he said gently.

""It was worth it," Pitch replied, his expression melting back into cool apathy. "Did you see the look on Autumn's face?"

"Can't say he didn't deserve it," Lunar replied. "Jack, please stop the snow. It's chilly in here."

Jack eased himself to the ground and nodded. "Yes, Lunar."

With a simple wave of his staff, all of the snow swirled around then turned into an icy wind. The wind dashed at Jack then seemed to go into the boy, whose complexion lightened as the room warmed up again. He bowed to Lunar, who nodded his head, pleased.

"Jack, why don't you and Prism go and make sure the food is ready."

Without a word, Pitch and Jack headed down a corridor. Pitch remained a step ahead, guiding the boy through what would appear to the outsider to be a maze of twisting hallways. The man was completely at home, and they soon emerged into a huge dining hall. Jack skipped over to the roast turkeys, inhaling happily. Pitch sat down, exhaling as his raw consciousness began to relax.

"Did you know," he began softly, and Jack looked at him eagerly. Pitch continued, "Did you know the Tsar used to hold royal banquets in here? Once there was over a thousand nobles in here, eating much different fare, of course. There was roast meat and delicate wines and the most beautiful desserts. We had creams and cakes and delicious stews. And it lasted twenty days. We never ran out of food and drink."

Jack's eyes were wide. "Twenty days?" he asked in wonder.

"Yes. There was dancing in the ballroom and games for all the children. Lunar loved it. I did, too, but not for the games. I liked seeing everybody happy. Few on my home planet were ever happy."

"I know you like making Lunar smile," Jack said, sitting down beside him. "And Lunar loves making you smile, too. So does Nightlight."

Pitch smiled slightly. "There is one more who can make me smile now. And I don't mind at all."

Jack looked curious. "Who, Sandy?"

"You, Jack," Pitch said, nudging the boy. "You make me smile. And laugh. Not so easy to do."

Jack blushed blue, but he smiled. "Yeah. That's just because you're darker than anybody else."

A troubled expression flashed across Pitch's face. "That's why I'm not a Guardian. Why would you even suggest it?"

Jack knew from the small voice that Pitch was facing an old insecurity. The boy stroked his chin."

"Fear is a part of life, Pitch. Everybody gets scared. You and Obscurus, too. But there's a difference between the two of you that makes you a Guardian."

Pitch hesitated as Jack paused. "And that is?"

"You know that fear isn't a pleasure. He was addicted to fear, others' fears. He needed that drugged haze that you described all the time. And he was willing to do anything to get it. Anything. He learned to weild fear like a weapon to get what he wanted. I think he needed it to forget some fear in his past that he didn't want to face. But you, Prism Lunanoff," Jack said firmly, and Pitch started and turned at the name. "You know what fear is. You don't want the drug, even if it takes you over sometimes. You have faced your fear and come out the other side. And that lets you understand others' fears. You understand them, so you can relieve them. And the biggest fear you have faced is death. And because of that, you have a power that Obscurus never could hope to have. You can touch the other side, however briefly, and bring the peace that lies over there over here to other people. And you do it a lot with children. And that, Prism Lunanoff, is why you are a Guardian."

Pitch felt his eyes prickle, and he wrapped an arm around the boy. "Thank you, Jack," he murmured. A smile broke out on his face as he said, "But I think we should think of another name other than the Guardian of Fear. Sounds a little off, doesn't it?"

Jack burst into a merry laugh as Lunar led the spirits into the room. They headed for the Thanksgiving feast with great relish, and Jack stood.

"I can get you a plate if you want."

Pitch considered this then shook his head. "I feel like getting my own. Crowd or no crowd."

Jack beamed as he and Pitch strolled toward the food. Whatever lay in their future, the present looked pretty good. And when Pitch saw Lunar's brilliant smile and wave to join them, he smiled back and headed over to join his family, both the new and the old. For just a moment, across the room, Pitch saw the shadowy outlines of two golden figures. They both graced him with a loving smile, and Pitch bowed his head toward them. Then the Tsar and Tsarina disappeared, leaving Pitch with Lunar and the others. And Pitch felt peace flow over him for the first time since their deaths. Jack Frost turned to beam at the Nightmare King, Pitch knew that somehow, in some way was Jack's doing. And he was glad of it.

Jack saw Pitch studying him, a spark of curiosity in his eyes. He didn't mind. As he reached for a piece of turkey, an orangish hand bumped his. Autumn froze in place, studied Jack for a moment, then backed off.

"After you, Frost," he said curtly.

Jack knew then that he would have no more trouble with Autumn. All it took was facing down fear itself, he thought wryly as he filled his plate. But he was just as glad as Pitch was. When their eyes met, they both smiled, content and happy with their lots in life for the first time in ages. All that was left was to enjoy the party. And whatever came the next day would come, and they would all face it together.