Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Rise of the Guardians.

Chapter 8

Frightmares neighed in excitement as Pitch turned in the clearing to stare at the newly arrived Guardians. His normally gold eyes were filled with swirling black shadows devoid of emotion.

"Ah, the esteemed Guardians have come once more to ruin lives. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" stated Pitch as he prowled silently around the group.

North stepped forward as he began to apologize. "Pitch…we're sorry. I know that it means nothing considering what our actions have done to your family-"

"How typical. You can't stand to acknowledge your faults so you cover it up to protect your Guardian reputation. There's no reason to hide the truth, everyone here knows of the bloodstained hands you wear. The blood of a child on the hands of the proclaimed protectors of children- how far you've sunk. But I guess in your minds you feel righteous. 'Any child they spawns must be as vile and twisted as its sire. Clearly it must be put down before it can bring about the Armageddon.'"

"Crikey mate, we said we were sorry-"

"Sorry won't bring my baby girl back!" yelled Pitch as the shadows crackled menacingly. "I don't wish to spend my time among baby-killers, what else do you want from me?" he questioned icily as he stood near the edge of the clearing.

"An end to this madness!" cried out Tooth as she gently fluttered forward. "We can never fully atone for what we've done, our actions have the death of one that we swore upon becoming Guardians to protect; we are killers and the death of your daughter will haunt us for the rest of our existence. But please, the mortals are in danger, children and adult. The world cannot handle the mass amounts of fear and darkness being emitted by you. The loss of life is incomprehensive to the point that everyone's calling this the Dark Ages; MiM has sent us direct orders for you and Merith to desist in the this abuse of your positions and power or we'll be forced to fight."

Tooth had to flip backwards to dodge the dark spike jutting out from where her shadow used to be. The Guardians tensed at the blazing glower from the deranged Shadow King.

"Then it looks like you're forced to fight. Do you think I care anymore about the well being of others? My compassion died with my daughter, and I'll be damned if I'll let you near my Merith, even if it means drowning the world in shadows!" bellowed Pitch as he shot towards Sandy, shadows writhing around his hands to reveal two seven inch blades that curved with a sharp gleam of light.

Swiping at Sandy, Pitch instinctively ducked under Bunny's boomerang, slashing at Tooth as he came out of a crouch. Hearing the glide of blades, Pitch spun around in time to lock blades with North as they began to spar furiously, sparks flying rapidly as Pitch skillfully dodged and flipped around the attacks of four Guardians. Fueled by an overwhelming rage and no longer fully in control of his senses, Pitch was slow in realizing how outmatched he was until a break in the fight left him panting in the clearing, arms struggling to remain elevated and aimed towards his enemies. His pale skin was hidden beneath large bruises, his robe was ragged and even torn in some places, revealing slashes of various sizes. His face was a bloody mess and from the hollows of his sockets golden irises peered out from the dripping blood, dull with pain, fatigue, and a deep loathing.

Upon realizing the futility in continuing their fight, Pitch tried to slyly slip into the shadows only to be quickly yanked out by a golden whip wrapped painfully around his leg. Forcefully dragged to the feet of the Guardians with all the ferocity of a wild animal, Sandy threw a golden net across the fallen Shadow King, and as Pitch began to claw at the net, handful after handful of sleeping dust hit him in the face. Glaring sleepily through the gaps of the net, Pitch hissed a final threat before succumbing to the darkness behind his eyes.

"I wish we didn't have to do this, I feel like we should've been punished instead of further tormenting them like this." whispered Tooth as Sandy used his dream sand on Pitch to find the location of his lair.

"I feel the same, but orders are still orders and this is what MiM said." replied North sadly as he began shaking a snow globe with the location transferred inside. He threw it into the air and went through with Tooth following behind. Bunnymund carried the unconscious Boogeyman and with a tap on the earth, began making his way to their destination with a wary Sandy flying rapidly behind. The trio would head towards Pitch's newly created prison which was devoid of all shadows and held secure by components made by all the Big Four and ancient moon runes given to them by MiM.

The duo slipped stealthily into the lair that Pitch and Merith called home, creeping warily through the dark, cavernous hallways. They quietly began searching the lair, on the lookout for any surprises or traps intended for intruders. Finally, they opened the door to what appeared to be the master bedroom where they found Merith curled up next to the headboard, his hair limp and greasy, green eyes blank and seemingly unresponsive to the world. North noticed with rising shame that Merith was wearing the formerly elegant robes from the Annual Spirits Celebration that had once proudly shown off his protruding belly but now only revealed a flat, scarred belly seen through the large bloodstained gaps and tears created from their fight.

"Here to finish what you started?"

Merith's raspy voice broke the silence of the room as his eyes briefly focused on the intruders in their home. He may be a failure as a bearer and husband, but he wouldn't let them desecrate his home or destroy the last of what his Pitch held dear.

Objects in the room began to rattle and shake, slowly twirling in the air as Merith raised his hands before flinging the objects towards the startled Guardians who nimbly jumped out of the way.

"Wait, Merith please! We don't need to fight; we can talk it out. This doesn't need to be settled through violence, we don't want to fight you!"

For a moment, the barrage of objects stopped and Tooth felt a glimmer of hope that they wouldn't be forced to fight another grieving spirit whose turmoil was created by them.

"This was started by your prejudice and senseless violence towards us; it will end with our justified violence upon you."

This time, as Merith raised his hands, his foci ring began to dimly glow as he began pulling his magic forward in earnest. He didn't care if he revealed his magic anymore, he just wanted them to suffer as he did, damn the consequences. Murmuring in rapid fire Latin, he watched dispassionately as a swarm of snakes, tigers, bears, wolves, hornets, and other various deadly creatures were either summoned or transfigured to attack and delay the Guardians for his true objective. He wouldn't be able to fight them; he could feel it in his magic. Though his core was very powerful and fully in tune with his emotions, he was now weak and near unresponsive because his emotions were nearly nonexistent. He had carefully formed and nurtured a maternal link with his unborn daughter, sending across his magic and soul to strengthen their bond while ensuring her healthy growth and well being. Having her cruelly ripped away from him by the Guardians had the adverse effect of a severe backlash of a severed bond and nearly rendered himself to the levels of a mediocre wizard.

But, he had enough hatred and magic for one more massive spell, a powerful curse to place his revenge on the four Guardians. Maybe then the emptyhollowmissing feeling would fade and he could help heal Pitch and his own heart.

"Mother magic, a curse upon the four Guardians Toothania, Sanderson Mansnoozie, E. Aster Bunnymund, Saint Nicholas North. By thee time of a child's thirteenth year, thy power dies with the death of children's faith. Here my words and bind them through space and time. So mote it be."

An overwhelming surge of magic burst from his chest and rapidly spiraled around Earth's core and then settled all over the world, leaving no place untouched. All throughout the Spirit Realm, its inhabitants shuddered as their surroundings briefly flared with white light. Even in the human realm, many deeply connected to the universe felt a shift in the world.

As the last animal fell to the ground and North aimed his swords at Merith, he bit back a painful gasp, faintly hearing Tooth cry out. Deep down within his center, he felt as many of his beloved believers lost faith in him and the agony brought him to his knees as he felt his strength waning. He felt weaker and as if he had lost a major part and when he lifted his gaze to the unconscious Guardian's figure crumpled on the bed, he felt a solemn acceptance. This was what he had done to a fellow Guardian, to another being who didn't deserve any of their blind prejudice; if this was a fraction of what they had made Merith suffer through, then he would accept this punishment without reluctance or resentment. However-

"Orders are still orders."

Thank you my amazing beta RavenIris for all your help!