New chapter everyone! Hopefully you like it! There are some plot twists in this, and this is one of my favorite chapters, so hopefully you all like it too. I took several creative liberties with this one, so don't be too harsh.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! If you still want to see her new outfit, review or PM me and let me know. I would've posted it as a chapter, but that won't work so I can't. I also have an email just for fans! Contact me at desertsnowqueen *at* aol *dot* com. You can email me there and I'll send you the image if you want.

Now, on to the chapter! Enjoy everyone!

Chapter 12: Getting Help

Three days later, Elsa was still bedridden from the sharp pains in her chest, and decided enough was enough. She was done trying to just let this pain pass on its own. She had duties to fulfill and people to protect, and she couldn't do that from her bed. She called Marshmallow, and together the Spirit of the Moon and her personal bodyguard set off to find someone to help her.

She had to think long and hard about who was able to help them. She considered Pabbie, but she wasn't sure he'd know what to do since he was newer than she was, and she knew Kristoff, Eugene and Anna wouldn't know. Anna and Faylinn would probably panic the minute they heard. She needed to find a spirit who's been around longer than Elsa who would be willing to help. Unfortunately, her brain seemed to work in circles, and the only spirit older than the Snow Queen was Pitch Black. She knew this pain wasn't his fault, and she was tired of fighting him since she'd been doing it since she was eight years old, but she wasn't sure he'd be willing to help her. Each time they fought, she somehow beat him with her love, and after the most recent battle, he must be bitter, but she had no other options. Luckily, Pitch wasn't trapped in his lair this time, so she could go talk to him. This time, Pitch was trapped in a cave, guarded by some of Elsa's snow monsters. They each wore a crest made of dream sand depicting a large moon, two snowflakes, a tooth, a Christmas tree, and an Easter egg. These crests gave them the power they needed to keep the Nightmare King trapped and weak, and the walls of the cave were lined with the same material and pattern. Elsa finally ordered Marshmallow to take her to Pitch's cave, and he agreed, knowing he could protect the queen if he had to.

When they arrived, the two snow monsters—one that was obviously male and the other that was obviously female, whom Elsa named Rudy and Babette—allowed her and Marshmallow to pass with ease, and they entered the cave. Marshmallow took her to exactly where Pitch was being held, and the grey-skinned man from Elsa's childhood looked up at them in disbelief. Never before had he seen Elsa be carried by her giant snow bodyguard, since he knew her to be a strong, caring, and at one time fearful young woman. They came closer, and she knew he realized she was not being carried by choice, but because she was weakened. Confusion filled his yellow eyes, and Elsa understood why. Love was more powerful than anything else, and more people believed in love than they did in sunlight or the changing of the seasons, and since love was her center, there was no reason why she should be weak. Marshmallow sat down when they were close enough to the Nightmare King, allowing Elsa to be more or less eye-level with the terrifying man.

"Elsa. To what do I owe this, surprise?" he asked carefully, and the immortal queen attempted to sit up.

"I need help from a spirit older than me. Something is happening that I can't explain, and I was hoping maybe you could. You've been around at least since I was little, and I'm assuming you've been around much longer than that. You're the only older spirit I've come into contact with, since the others all seem to keep to themselves, so I was wondering—" she began to explain, but the yellow-eyed spirit cut her off.

"You need my help. Elsa, Queen of the Moon and leader of the Guardians created to destroy me, needs my help. How perfect is this?" he said with a sneer, but Elsa could tell there was something different about him. His sneer wasn't as menacing and irritating as it normally was. This time, it was more like it was hiding something, but what could that something be? She knew it wasn't love, since Pitch Black didn't love anyone, but maybe it was compassion, or even concern? They had known each other for centuries, and had always been fighting, but maybe Pitch was as tired of fighting as she was, or just didn't want to lose his main adversary. Usually the villains in stories were nothing without their hero, and vice-versa. A hero is only as strong as its villain, and a villain is only as strong as its hero.

"Pitch, I've always fought you, and I've always kept you from becoming too powerful. I could have destroyed you more than once but didn't. The Guardians always stopped before you would be destroyed. The world needs fear, and children need fear. The fears you caused with me allowed my powers to grow more in defense, and made me stronger. Yes, I was much, much stronger once I stopped letting you control me, but I'm not sure my powers would have grown as much as they did without you. Fear keeps children from doing things that could kill them, and keeps them believing in the Guardians because it gives them hope. I'm not asking you to do much, but I'm tired of fighting you and I need your help. I'll even do something big for you in return," she promised him. Just like her cousin, Elsa always keeps her promises, and Pitch knew this. She watched him as he thought for a moment, and she could see his brain working through his golden eyes.

"What would I get in return?" he asked her, and Elsa took a breath. She had decided this on the way to the cave he was being held in, and knew she needed to offer it.

"I would make you a Guardian. Instead of being written off as a bad dream and not believed in, you would be the Guardian of Fear, and would be strong. Not threateningly strong, but strong. You could use fear to protect the children. I know that sounds backwards, but you could by giving them just enough fear to stay out of danger. Besides, kids these days like being scared. They watch scary movies, go on rides they're afraid of, and pay money to walk through haunted houses for fun. They like the adrenaline rush they get, and they like feeling like they can conquer their fear. Some people just like to be afraid sometimes. You could protect that side of fear, the side children like and need, and be strong again. They wouldn't fear you, Pitch, but they would believe in you, and their hopes and beliefs are stronger than any fear," she told him sincerely. She meant everything she was saying. Elsa felt in her heart—when it wasn't being ripped apart by the strange knife inside—that they would need to have him on their side to stop whatever was causing her pain. She watched him think about her offer, and she could see the intrigue in his eyes. She knew he wanted to be believed in, since it's what all spirits wanted, but she also knew he would be apprehensive about working with her family.

"Your Guardians all hate me though, especially Frost. How would you get them to agree?" the Nightmare King asked her, and she sat up carefully to look him right in the eyes. Blue met gold, and neither were sure if the sensation was good or bad.

"They won't argue with me when I choose a Guardian. Well, Bunny did when I chose Jack, but they got over it pretty quickly. Jack is just going to have to deal with it since he still doesn't believe in me, and I can explain my reasons to the others who will explain it to him. Everything I've done has been for their good, my good, and the good of the children. Whatever is affecting me, it's big and it's powerful and we'll all have to work together to defeat. Please, I know you want this. You've just been doing it wrong. Let me help," she pleaded to the dark man sitting in front of her. He let out a breath and looked around the cave he was trapped in.

"How can I be a Guardian? People have never liked being afraid. Why do they like it now?" he challenged her, and she sighed. She didn't know why people liked being afraid, but she knew they did.

"Let me prove to you that children like being afraid, and that they can believe in you. If I succeed, then you can become a Guardian, and be a Guardian on your own terms. You won't have to deal with the others unless it's an emergency, and I'll make sure they don't try to attack you or get you to deny being a Guardian. What do you say?" she asked him, and she knew she only had one shot to make him agree. She forced eye contact with him, and the strange feeling that came with blue eyes meeting gold came back, but neither spirit would back down.

"Deal," he agreed after a long moment, and Elsa smiled. She used her magic to create a ring with the Guardian's crest on it to match the crest on the walls of the cave and the ring Kristoff wore, and tossed it to him. He caught it and put it on, and the sand on the cave walls stopped glowing.

"What did you do?" he asked her staring around the cave, and Elsa smiled slightly.

"That ring will allow you to leave the cave. The sand only glows when someone is being held captive here. Since you agreed to help me and put on the ring, you're free, but there's a catch. If you try to go back on your agreement and cause pain and unnecessary fear, the ring will refuse to come off and will cause immense pain, and a light on the Globes will tell us exactly where you are so we can lock you up again," she warned him, and he nodded.

"I understand why you wouldn't trust me completely, given our past, but yet you trust me enough to let me out?" he asked in pure confusion. Elsa only shrugged.

"I'm tired of fighting you, Pitch. Don't you think more than three centuries is enough? It's time for a change," she said, and watched as he finally noticed her new look. His eyes were unreadable as he looked her over from head to toe.

"I see you've been making a lot of changes. Changing your clothes, wanting your eternal enemy to be your friend, what else have you changed, Snow Queen?" he asked her, with a tone that was a combination of taunting, confusion, and true interest. Before she could respond, a wave of pain overtook her as the knife in her heart began to twist. This wave wasn't as strong as they usually were, but it was enough to show Pitch that there really was a problem.

"This must be what you can't explain," he began when the pain finally subsided and Elsa could sit up again. "It's not me, but then again, you must have already known that or you wouldn't be here. I'm not strong enough to find what it is now, but if you're right and people can start believing in me, then we need to hurry so we can help you. Do the Guardians know about any of this?" he asked her, and Elsa shook her head. She almost answered him using Anna's real name, but caught herself when she remembered he didn't know.

"Tooth knows about my new look, but she doesn't know about the pains, or about me coming to get help from you. None of the others know about anything," she said, and Pitch Black nodded before standing up.

"Let's go then, before it's too late," he said, and Elsa moved so he could ride on Marshmallow with her. The three of them left the cave, and Elsa instructed her giant snow bodyguard to take them to a haunted house, causing Pitch to look at her with confusion and interest lighting up his golden eyes.

They spent the rest of the day going from one town to another, one country to the next, visiting amusement parks, haunted houses, and movie theaters alike. Elsa showed Pitch that children and adults were paying money to be scared. She showed him scary rides that people loved to go on, walked through haunted houses with him and watched as he used his magic to make the rooms scarier, and smiled as he laughed at the people screaming at jump-scares in movies. As they left one haunted house on the edge of a lake, one that Pitch had enhanced for the people's enjoyment, they noticed a little boy around five-years-old playing on rocks near the water's edge. His parents kept calling him, trying to get him to come away from the water to where he would be safe, but he wouldn't listen. Elsa started to go over to him, trying to help, but Pitch rested a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Let me try," he said, and she nodded and stepped back. Pitch went over to the boy and used a small amount of his magic. It was just enough to scare the boy back to his parents, but not enough to scar him for life or give him a permanent fear of the water. Elsa smiled and used a little of her own magic so the boy would be able to see Pitch. She sent a small flurry of magic snowflakes over to him. One touched his nose, allowing him to see and believe in Pitch Black, and another whispered in his ear. The snowflake told him the figure was named Pitch Black, and that he was going to keep children safe. The boy smiled then, and waved at Pitch before leaving. When the Nightmare King turned back to the Snow Queen, his eyes were lit up at the realization that the child wasn't afraid, but instead believed, and she knew he would be joining the others. She waved him back over to her with a smile.

"Congratulations, Guardian," she said with a slightly teasing tone. His smile grew ever larger, and Elsa found herself wrapped in a hug before she knew what was happening. He set her down after a moment and cleared his throat, and Elsa played with the end of her braid.

"Thank you, Elsa," he said gratefully, and the Queen of Winter smiled at him.

"Of course. Now come on. We still have time tonight for you to join the others," she said, and Marshmallow carried them to North's workshop.

Elsa and Marshmallow entered the workshop first, telling Pitch to wait until she was ready to start the ceremony. He waited in a hidden spot Elsa created for him near the entrance. When she went inside, she realized her family was already there, except for Jack. Anna and Kristoff were sitting together while Faylinn played with a toy Kristoff made for her with Sven. Eugene was painting Easter eggs, and she noticed with a slightly sad smile that this particular egg was a beautiful purple color, with a flowery sun on the front and gorgeous golden swirls decorating the rest of the egg. He set it in a beautiful flower that looked as though it was made from a drop of pure sunlight, and Elsa felt a slight pain for her cousin, but it went away quickly when she remembered that once Sophie was old enough to get her memories back, she would remember that she was Rapunzel and she could be with Eugene again. Pabbie was experimenting with his dream sand to see if he could learn a new trick. She cleared her throat quietly, and everyone turned to her. She smiled as she took in all of their shocked expressions. All three guys were surprised by her new dress, and Elsa was happy that they liked it.

"What? It's been three hundred years since I last changed my look. It was time for an upgrade, and all of you guys already got one so it was my turn," she said, and the guys nodded and stopped staring. Sven came over and nudged her hand, and she smiled and started to pet him, then Faylinn flew over and landed on her shoulder. Pabbie came over with a dream sand question mark over his head, and Eugene followed as she moved the moon right over the opening in the roof.

"Yeah, why are you here now? It's been a month since we last saw you. Is something happening?" the six-foot-tall bunny asked her, and she nodded.

"Get Jack here. I have an announcement and even though he can't hear me anyway, he still needs to know this," she told them, and Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"He actually is here. He's just in one of the other rooms with Peri," he said, and one of the yetis went off to get the white-haired couple. When they came back, Elsa felt a slight ache where the knife was in her heart and Faylinn flew back to her mother. She closed her eyes momentarily, but neither of the pair acknowledged she was there. After all, neither of them could see her. Kristoff explained to them that the Moon had a message for them, and she took her cue. She created the crystal and the pedestal, and began to focus the moonlight through the blue ice. Jack looked around in confusion when Anna gasped.

"What? What's going on?" the Guardian of Fun demanded, and Elsa waited for one of the others to answer, knowing Anna would.

"A new Guardian is being chosen. This is how we were all chosen, Jack, from Sandy to North to me to Bunny to you. And now it'll be someone new," Anna said, and Jack's eyes lit up.

"Maybe Peri will be a Guardian! We can work together to bring snow days to the kids!" he exclaimed, and the knife twisted slightly, almost causing Elsa to lose her concentration. Conceal it, don't feel it. Don't let it show, she thought to herself, and used her magic to create an image on the pedestal.

"As long as it's not the Groundhog, I'm fine with it," Eugene stated, and Elsa sighed. No one knew why Eugene hated the Groundhog so much, since he never talked about it, but each time he said that Elsa was tempted to make the Groundhog a Guardian just so he would let it go. This time, however, was not the time to play a trick on her cousin's husband. She focused and a tall, dark figure appeared on the pedestal, with golden eyes and spiked black hair. Everyone gasped and Jack threw a fit as Pitch walked into the room, still wearing his ring.

"Pitch Black is not a Guardian, and he never will be! He doesn't care about children!" Jack shouted, and Pitch smirked.

"That's exactly what the Easter Bunny said about you, Frost. But I am a Guardian now," he said, and before anyone could attack the King of Fear, Elsa focused her magic once again. The image of Pitch on the pedestal was replaced by a memory, showing Pitch saving the little boy and bringing him back to his family before he could fall into the water, and then showed the boy smiling and waving at the boogeyman. Everyone's jaws dropped, and for a long moment everything was silent.

"Well, how do we know you didn't use your Nightmare sand to fake that?" Jack demanded, and the dark man shrugged.

"You don't. But you do know that my Nightmare sand is black, not blue, and that I can't fake what you just saw. I can do a lot of things, Frost, but I can't fake the Moon's magic, and I can't fake this ring," he said, and held up his ring. Kristoff gasped and looked at his own ring, noticing they were exactly the same. He looked over at Elsa with a question in his eyes, and she gestured to the memory.

"It's real. I witnessed it. He's a Guardian, North, and we need his help," she said, and Pitch smiled. The others stood in shock for several moments, and Jack pulled Peri against him in a defensive stance. She looked over towards Elsa and Pitch, and Elsa could have sworn that she saw something flash in the fairy's blue eyes, but she didn't have time to focus on it. The knife in her heart twisted violently, and the Snow Queen screamed from the pain before collapsing on the ground. This wave of pain was a million times stronger than any other pain she had felt before, and it almost knocked her unconscious. The others rushed over, leaving Jack confused, and Elsa needed him to get out. She shot frozen snow at him, making it look like moonstones jutting out of the ground. He jerked back, pulling Periwinkle with him, and Pitch turned to him.

"Get her out of here Frost!" he yelled at him, and on instinct the barefoot Guardian dragged his girlfriend out of the room, not even bothering to ask what was happening. Once they were gone, Eugene and Kristoff picked Elsa up off the floor as gently as they could, and Pitch and Anna led the way to a spare bedroom Kristoff made for Elsa centuries before, just in case she wanted to stay in the workshop instead of her ice palace in the moon, and they laid her down carefully. She cried out in pain again as the knife twisted once more, and Anna grabbed her sister's hand reassuringly. Eugene, Sandy, and Pitch worked together to try to discover what was causing Elsa's mysterious pains, and Pitch looked up first with something unreadable in his eyes resembling concern.

"What?" Anna asked, not taking her purple eyes off her big sister. Pitch gathered some of his Nightmare dust, and created an image of a snake with it.

"Whatever you thought was causing these pains was wrong. This is something I've only ever seen once, and it was almost two thousand years ago," he said, and everyone turned to him and gaped at his age. "What? I've been around a long time, and seen a lot of things. Anyway, we have more pressing matters to attend to. Elsa has a snake that's ripping her heart to pieces," he said urgently, and once again everyone gaped.

"I, I thought it was a knife…" Elsa said quietly, and Pitch just shook his head sadly.

"But, how did the snake get there…?" Anna asked hesitantly. Pitch looked at the colorful fairy and uttered one word, or rather, name.

"Medusa," the King of Nightmares said.

Duh-duh-duuuuuuuuh! New characters! I'm having so much fun writing this! Leave a review and tell me if you're having as much fun reading as I am writing, or if you hate the idea of Pitch being a Guardian!

Snowflakes of love and fun to you all!