Disclaimer: I do not own ROTG or Frozen.
For those of you who skipped ahead to the last chapter, know that I have posted two chapters today as a Thanksgiving gift to all of you! Feedback on this chapter is especially appreciated. I had someone tell me that I don't give enough detail in battle scenes, so I hope that I've done better here! Also, thank you to ENDDRAGON369 who somehow managed to read through the last chapter before I even got this one uploaded to post to the story. I love your constant feedback and hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
Pitch had won, even without the ice queen's death. His rain of nightmare sand had created a world filled with fear and belief. He laughed as he flew across the sky, stopping once he was above the center of the town. He had the eyes of everyone on him, all of them looking fearful and devoid of hope. "Greetings Arendelle! I am Pitch Black, King of Nightmares and now the ruler of your pitiful kingdom. Look at me and know that this is the face of fear, the person who creates the darkness that lives in the world!" he yelled, smiling as people cowered together. Children were clinging to their parents for protection while their parents looked like they wanted to run away with their kids.
He smiled as some actually tried to run, but were blocked. All of their fear had given rise to a new army of nightmares. All of the fear here caused them to gather, looking for something to feed on. "It is pointless to run! My nightmares can smell fear and they will find you, wherever you go!" Pitch continued, watching as even those with a small amount of hope surrendered to his will. Smiling he gave them the last stage of his plan, the king and queen themselves.
"As a sign that even I can be generous, I have spared the lives of your previous rulers! They can live like the rest of you, cowering in fear of my power." he told them, dropping the king and queen from the sky. It hadn't taken Pitch long to locate them in the castle. No one had been there to protect them or keep them inside while they lived in their nightmare worlds.
"My gosh it took me a long time to get here. Mike, I tried to catch your attention before, but I don't think you heard me. Hi!" a white snowman said, pushing his way through the crowd. Pitch got annoyed, staring at the fearless creature with anger in his eyes. Even after all of this, the thing was still carefree and happy. Just what was this thing? He was able to resist even the strongest of Pitch's nightmare sand and stay happy and hopeful. The citizens were looking at it and seemed to be snapping out of some of their daze. "No! Even that creature will suffer just as you do. Watch as the sun comes out from behind my clouds and destroys his snow!" Pitch yelled, making his message vanish from the sky.
Olaf seemed to get happier instead of frightened at Pitch's words. "Really? I get to see the sun? Oh I've always imagined what this day would be like, the day I got to truly experience summer." he was saying. "Ugh, why won't he just shut up already!" Pitch complained, watching as he began to melt. "Hang in there, buddy, I've got you!" a voice called out, one that Pitch Black knew all too well. Snow appeared above the snowman, freezing him again and allowing him to survive in the sunlight.
"Jack Frost, you have come to stop me? You are too late." Pitch Black announced, forgetting that he had the attention of the entire kingdom. While it wasn't enough to inspire belief in all of them, many of them suddenly could see the white-haired boy flying through the crowd along with the young princesses. "Mother!" Anna yelled, seeing Iduna and Agnarr collapsed on the ground. Kristoff followed her, wanting to help comfort Anna. "You guys take care of Pitch. I'll help Anna and your parents." Kristoff told the Guardians, walking away. Elsa followed him, joining Anna by her parents on the ground.
"It is never too late, Pitch. Let's face it, you're outnumbered and we are stronger than ever here." Jack countered, holding his staff ready to fight. The Guardians stood by his side, all prepared to battle against their oldest enemy. "I'd like to you you try, Guardians. You will come to know fear, just like the rest of this kingdom, and you will fall with the believers you hold so dear to your heart." Pitch threatened, creating a wave of darkness and sending it flying towards the Guardians. Jack stepped forward, ready for the attack. Holding his staff in front of him, he froze the sand as it approached them, creating an explosion of icy darkness while Sand quickly created a bed of sand to fly off on. He was planning on sneaking up behind Pitch to take him down, but Pitch saw the Sandman's plans quickly. Sandy was forced to go on the defensive as Pitch created a scythe of darkness, slashing at the Guardian before he could get close to the Nightmare King.
Tooth flew up to help Sandy, using her agility to dodge his attacks while trying to fight back with her sword. Pitch only laughed at her attempts to fight, amused that the Tooth Fairy thought she could win. "It'll take more than some teeth and quarters to beat me, Toothiana." he told her, blasting her with darkness and sending her flying back towards the ground. Sandy took his distraction as another chance to fight back, trying to grab him with his whips of golden sand. Pitch saw them out of the corner of his eye, and he forced his cloud of sand to rise and dodge the attack. He turned around after he did so, slashing downwards with his scythe of darkness and sending Sandy back towards the ground along where he was reunited with his fellow Guardians. They all stared up at Pitch, still determined to win this battle.
"Is that the best you have? Here I was thinking that this might be a bit of a challenge. Well, at least this will be entertaining for a few moments." Pitch commented, grinning wickedly at the Guardians below. He was getting stronger as more fear was created by this battle. The citizens were getting more terrified every second, seeing the magic battle going on within the clearing in front of them. Those that had believed in Jack Frost after Pitch's yell were able to see more than the others, but as the battle continued more and more of the crowd began to believe. They could see the magical beings fighting back against this man that had created so much fear in this kingdom. They wanted to escape, but the nightmares were still keeping them trapped in the kingdom.
Bunny was growing angry at Pitch's comments, glaring at the man and deciding that it was his turn to attack. Pulling out his boomerang, he lifted it over his head and threw it while Pitch was focused on fighting off Sandy's whips of dream sand. Sandy had recovered quickly from his fall and was already back in the sky with Pitch Black. Pitch ducked just in time to dodge the boomerang, laughing at Bunny's pitiful attempt to hit him. He was about to taunt him once more when the boomerang returned, this time hitting Pitch and sending him flying off of his cloud of dark sand. One of his nightmares rushed to catch its creator, breaking through the crowd and gaining a few shrieks as it did so. "Got ya that time, mate. You gotta do better than that if you want to stay in charge." Bunny said with a grin, as Pitch glared back at him.
Now that he was on the ground, North rushed forward with his swords to begin battling the nightmare king. Once again, Pitch returned to using his scythe of darkness, blocking the swords and swinging it towards North as an attack. Jack tried to distract him as well, flying into the battle and sending ice flying towards the nightmare king. Pitch dodged the ice, laughing as he did so. "Playing more games, Frost? It is going to take more than a little fun to stop me." Pitch told him, sending a wave of darkness towards Jack. It hit him head on, sending the guardian flying back away from the battle. He groaned, one hand holding his staff while the other clutched his stomach that was still in pain from the blow. Even with all of them together, Pitch was taking them on with little problems. They had to do something quick to stop him, but Jack had no idea what to do.
As he sat up, Jack felt the lump inside of his pocket reminding him of the gift he had been given by the rock trolls. Pulling out the scroll, Jack began to think about what he might be able to do to stop Pitch. He didn't quite know how to use it, but Grand Pabbie seemed to think he could figure it out. Watching as his friends battled and fell back against Pitch, Jack knew he had to try. "Hey! Leave them alone!" Jack yelled, seeing Pitch get ready to swarm the Guardians with nightmare sand. One hit from that blast and all of them would be lost in a sea of nightmares, unable to battle and protect this kingdom.
"And just what can you do to stop me? You are weak, even with these Guardians by your side!" Pitch told him, scowling at Jack Frost before returning his focus to the others. Staring down at the scroll, Jack closed his hand around it into a fist, standing up and preparing to stop Pitch no matter what it took. "We will always stop you, Pitch. Even if you destroy them and take away the hope, dreams, and wonder of these people, I will not give up. I was chosen by the moon to be a Guardian, and I will protect them." Jack said, holding his staff ready to fight. He had to get Pitch's attention, if he wanted to save his friends. He hoped that Pitch's anger would work to his advantage this time, that Jack could taunt the man and force him into battle with Jack instead of the Guardians.
"Jack, stop! We'll be okay, you can't do this on your own!" Tooth yelled, hoping that the young Guardian would stop tormenting Pitch. It was too late however. The nightmare king had heard enough from Frost and was ready to stop him. "Just you and me, Pitch, no interference from the Guardians and no attacks on the civilians." Jack told him, holding his staff ready to fight if he needed to do so. He had another plan in mind, but he had to be prepared for it to fail. "Very well, I'll humor you with this little game. Once you are out of the way, it will only be a matter of time before the others join you in your failure." Pitch told him, standing ready to fight and meeting Jack's eyes with his golden yellow gaze.
"Before we begin, I have one question for you. Are you gifted or cursed?" Jack asked, repeating the question that had run through his own head ever since he met the rock trolls. This answer would decide Pitch's fate. Pitch stared at him, confused as to what the question even meant. "Really? That is what you want to know? Out of all the questions you could ask, you choose to ask me something pointless like that?" he responded, avoiding answering and revealing that he did not understand the question.
Jack nodded, glancing at the scroll in his hand. He had done close to the same thing when the trolls asked him if he had been born or cursed with magic. "Your magic, Pitch. Is it a gift or a curse?" Jack clarified, seeing through Pitch's avoidance. He had gained some wisdom from the trolls, realizing that not everyone saw magic as a gift like he did. Maybe Pitch had beliefs like Grand Pabbie, thinking he was cursed instead of chosen. The Guardians were watching Jack in confusion as well, not understanding where this had come from.
Pitch actually grew thoughtful, uncertain of his answer. He had so much power and the ability to do so many things in the world, especially when there was fear. At the same time, he couldn't help but know everyone's greatest fear, hearing what worried them and all their negative emotions. Even the people that didn't believe in him shared their greatest fears with him. That brought him to the other downside of his power, the inability to be seen without belief. Yes, his powers were a curse but he would use them to improve his life no matter what it took.
"It doesn't matter anymore, Jack. I have taken this curse and turned it into a blessing, making myself the ruler of an entire kingdom that I can fill with as much fear as I desire!" Pitch answered, smiling around him. People heard his words and backed away slightly, more afraid of him than they were of the nightmares surrounding them. The battle they had just witnessed was only proof of his strength. They wanted to get as far away from this sorcerer as possible. Jack Frost had nodded in response as they did so, his decision made after hearing those words.
Jack stepped forward and shocked everyone by dropping his staff. "I'm not going to fight you, Pitch. I'm going to save you." he announced, opening the scroll in his other hand. Light seemed to pour out of it, simply when it was opened. Startled, Jack almost dropped the scroll immediately but he fumbled around and caught it, making sure the light didn't hit himself. "What is that?" Pitch asked, not understanding what he was seeing.
Jack pointed the light towards him, acting on instinct. He might not understand exactly how the spell worked, but he trusted the rock trolls. They had helped him, even with their misguided beliefs. Jack looked at Pitch, not smiling or frowning as the spell began to surround him. "It is your salvation." he said quietly, feeling a weight settle onto his shoulders. He had made a decision, he just hoped it was the right one. Everyone watched as the light left the paper completely, surrounding Pitch and swirling around him. It almost reminded Jack of Sandy's dream sand, but he knew this would have a very different effect.
"Jack, what did you just do?" Tooth asked, staring at Pitch in shock. She had never seen anything like this before. Even though she was still recovering from her nightmare world, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Pitch Black, the ruler of darkness, was being filled with a golden light. Tooth could remember the dream he had sent her, the dream where she was all alone without anyone believing in her. She tried so hard to gather teeth on her own, but her strength failed her every time. Even the other Guardians turned away from her, looking disappointed that she had become so weak. Tooth shuddered at the memory and tried to focus on the light in front of her instead.
Jack picked his staff up again as the light began to fade away. He watched as Pitch began to fall to the ground, his eyes wide as he tried to figure out what had happened. Pitch was unconscious, possibly even dead. He flew towards the man, rushing to make sure he was still alive. Up close, Jack could see all of the differences in his appearance now that his magic was gone. His skin had returned to a normal color, losing its grey tint. His hair that had been black was now blond, creating a nearly unrecognizable image in front of them. The only thing that remained unchanged was his facial features. It was the only sign that the man in front of them had once been Pitch Black. As Jack pressed his fingers into Pitch's neck, he felt relieved to feel a pulse beating underneath his hand. He was alive, just unconscious from the spell.
"Is he alright?" Elsa asked, looking at the man Jack had caught. She had been standing off in the distance, with her sister, Kristoff, and her parents. Her parents seemed fine, so she was walking over to the Guardians to see if she could help. The battle seemed to be over though, but the enemy didn't quite look right. His entire appearance had changed and he seemed to have collapsed on the ground. Elsa had watched the very end of the battle, as Jack separated Pitch and began to fight on his own.
She didn't understand why Jack was so confused by his own attack, but she did feel strangely concerned for Pitch. She didn't want to watch someone die in front of her, no matter what they had done. "He's still breathing at least. The trolls didn't say what would happen, only that it would take away his magic." Jack replied, hoping that this would help Pitch in the end. Maybe without the need to be believed in, he would return to a normal life and be happy. Jack hoped that it would happen, not just for the others but for Pitch as well. No one deserved to suffer through a life of loneliness like he had.
Slowly, Pitch began to groan and open up his eyes. He had been talking with Jack, something about his magic being a curse, and then he was surrounded by a glowing light that seemed to suck out all of his energy. Pitch looked around and froze, realizing he couldn't feel their fear anymore. No more fears, no more thoughts of pain and misery. "It's all gone. All of the fear, the pain, it is gone." he whispered, looking at the faces of others around him.
Jack held out a hand to him, his eyes looking sympathetic. "I took away your curse, Pitch. You can have your old life back, if you want it." Jack told him. Staring into Jack's eyes, Pitch felt something he hadn't felt in years. He could feel hope for his future. Pitch finally had a chance to live a normal life, focusing on his own fears, hopes, and dreams instead of the fears of others. Pitch felt a single tear begin to fall down his cheek as he realized the gift Jack had given him. "Thank you." he whispered, taking his hand and standing up. Pitch had just done terrible things to the people all around him, but he couldn't help but feel relieved. He was finally free, free from the curse of the ancient prince. Looking up at the sky, Pitch smiled and bowed his head to honor the man whom he had hated for so long. Manny could now rest in peace, knowing that he had chosen the right individuals to be his Guardians and protect his kingdom.
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