Chapter 30
North, Jack, and Tooth found themselves flying over a frozen lake and Jack noticed a shape.
"North, head down, I saw something!" he demanded and the reindeer headed downward and landed on the icy ground.
Pitch, Bunnymund, and Sandy struggled to fight against the powerful wind, but suddenly, Sandy was blown away.
"Hang on, mate!" Bunnymund shouted and went after Sandy. Pitch wanted to help, but the bunny calls out to him, "Go find your sheila!"
Pitch looked at his hands; he saw that the veins were turning black and he could not feel his fingers as they were now hard as rocks.
He pressed on, but the snow and wind blinded his sight, there was no way he would find Grace in time.
As for the girl, she stopped walking when she noticed a figure ahead. "Pitch?" she called out, but the form took the shape of a wolf.
Grace turned to run, but saw more of the night terrors and they surrounded her. Then, she spotted the familiar form of Mora.
"You can't run from your fear and you can't run from the truth," the goddess said to the girl.
"What are you talking about?" Grace asked, her heart was pounding with fear.
"Pitch is dead!" Mora shouted over the wind.
Grace felt like she was hit by a brick wall, but she refused to believe Mora. "You're lying!" she cried out.
"Have I ever lied to you? Pitch is dead because he tried to rescue you from this storm. He died because of you!" Mora shouted back.
Grace's heart shattered and she collapsed to the ground and began to sob. The one spirit she had loved with all her heart was gone.
Jack, having enough of the storm, slammed his staff down on the ice as hard as he could, and then, the wind died and the snow stopped falling.
Now that Pitch was no longer blind, he spotted Jack, North, and Tooth. "Look!" the tooth fairy pointed out. The three of them, including Tooth's assistants headed toward Pitch.
Bunnymund was able to help Sandy down, but he then saw Grace and Mora. Behind them was Pitch, he had his back to them, as if he didn't notice.
Mora then pulled out her dagger and Bunnymund shouts, "Pitch!"
Pitch heard the cry and turned around, spotting the two women. "Grace?" he said, but then saw the glint of Mora's dagger.
With the last of his strength, Pitch ran up to them, and Jack cries out, "Pitch, no!"
The boogeyman got his body in between the two women and raised his hand, preparing to take Mora's blow. "NO!" he cried out and at that moment, his whole body turned to stone.
Mora's dagger made contact with Pitch's hard body and the impact made her go airborne and she landed a few feet away.
A breath escaped from Pitch's mouth and his heart stopped beating.
Grace looked up, noticing the stone statue of her beloved. "Pitch!" she cried and got in front of him. She stared into his stone cold eyes and she touched his cheeks, they were cold to the touch.
"Please, please, come back," Grace said, tears following down her cheeks. She wailed with rasping sobs and embraced the stone statue of Pitch; she knew that he was gone forever.
The other guardians gathered around them, horrified and upset that the boogeyman was dead and they lowered their heads.
"I'm sorry," Grace said, "Please, don't leave me. I love you," she added.
The Man in the Moon had witnessed the entire incident and the moon began to shine on the statue of Pitch.
The boogeyman's heart began to beat, again, and starting where the wound was, the stone began to dissolve, revealing Pitch's true color.
Baby Tooth squeaked at her mistress and Tooth noticed the change. "Look," she said and everyone watched the transformation.
Finally, the boogeyman no longer was a stone statue, he was real, again. He took a deep breath and Grace noticed him moving.
"Pitch?" she asked and he nods. Her arms circled his neck and Pitch held her tight, his fingers were buried in her burning red hair.
"You sacrificed yourself to save me, but why?" Grace asked.
"I should've told you this a long time ago," Pitch replied and adds, "I love you, Grace."
They embraced, again, and everyone smiled, but the hummingbirds formed a heart and so did the sand above Sandy's head.
Suddenly, a voice rang out, "Fools!"
Mora was on the big black bird and her whole army of night terrors became one entity.
"I am going to show you that terror does rule over all!" Mora shouted.
The guardians, including Pitch prepared themselves to fight, but the evil goddess laughed.
"You think you can defeat me? Who will save you when I am done with you?" she asked them.
Then, Grace stood in front of Pitch, "I will," she answered, but Mora laughed.
"You? You can't overcome your own fear," the goddess replied and she sent the black sand entity toward the girl.
Grace's face changed to that of bravery and determination. "I am not afraid of you!" she shouted and held up one hand. Pitch stood beside her and held out his hand.
The other guardians braced for impact, but they were ready.
Suddenly, as soon as the black sand touched the two lovers' fingers, it began to change. It transformed into golden sand and the good dreams emerged from the stream.
"What?!" Mora shouted in confusion. One by one, the night terrors were transformed or attacked by the nightmares that Pitch summoned.
Mora noticed Grace and Pitch, but they were unaware of the goddess and she cries out, "I'll kill you myself!" The bird charged at the two and they held each other.
Suddenly, a black figure appeared in front of the evil goddess and her bird. It screamed, flapped its wings, and reared its front legs.
"Erebos!" Pitch exclaimed and everyone watched as the Pegasus kicked and bit Mora.
"OW! You annoying beast!" the goddess cried out and was about to strike the steed with her dagger. Suddenly, something grabbed Mora by the hands and she was pulled to the ground by a gold chain.
Mora was now face to face with Sandy and he gestured his fingers, as if to say, "Shame on you."
Then, Pitch and Grace came up. The girl grabbed Mora by her shoulder and punched the goddess hard. "How dare you touch me!" Mora complained, but then, Pitch slapped her. With that, Mora fell to the ground and started to snore, a small nightmare played above her head.
"Erebos! Come here you devil!" Pitch exclaimed and hugged the Pegasus' neck. Grace hugged him, too, and Erebos whinnied.
Just then, someone threw snowballs at Grace and Pitch. Jack whistled as if he did it.
"You want to have fun? Well, here it comes!" Grace shouted, throwing a snowball at Jack, and everyone got in the game.
A few seconds passed and Mora got up and she rubbed her head. She then noticed the guardians and Grace playing.
"You dare play in my presence? I AM THE-" Just then, Grace ran through Mora as if she was a ghost. Mora realized what that meant; Grace did not believe in her.
"No, no, no! I will not be ignored! I am the queen of night terrors!" Mora shouted, but Grace didn't seem to hear her, only the guardians did.
Pitch and the others stare at Mora with angry eyes and they closed in around her. The goddess tried to leave, but she was surrounded by the guardians.
"Leaving so soon?" North asked.
"We have a gift for you," Tooth said and then punched Mora in the mouth, a tooth flew out.
"You can't defeat me, there will always be terror, even when children sleep," Mora pointed out.
"If one child believes in terror, then we will fight back, no matter what," Pitch replied.
Mora then noticed some night terrors and she chuckles, "Try telling that to them," she said and pointed.
The guardians were confused, they, not even Pitch felt a sense of fear inside their hearts.
"They can't be my night terrors," Bunnymund said and Pitch shakes his head, but then turns to face Mora.
"I think it's your fear that they smell," the boogeyman grinned and Mora's face fell. At that moment, the night terrors charged at the goddess and she was engulfed by black sand.
They pulled her into her cave and they took her deep into the earth. The cave's entrance closed up with dirt and debris.
The guardians congratulated one another, but Pitch noticed Grace walking up to him. "Grace, I have-" Suddenly, she slapped him. Pitch rubbed his sore cheek.
"That was for leaving me!" she said and then, she grabbed at the scuff of Pitch's black coat. "This is for coming back," Grace added and at that moment, she kissed him.
Pitch deepened the kiss and they held onto the kiss for a long time.
"Good onya, mate!" Bunnymund cheered with North and Sandy clapping.
Tooth and her assistants stared at the two with dreamy looks. Jack just looked at them, a hint of jealousy grew inside, but he didn't let it consume him.
Grace and Pitch departed lips and just then, a yeti came up to the group, it had used a portal and it started shrieking in some language.
North spoke to the yeti and then he turns to face the others. "We have been summoned. The Man in the Moon wants us in court immediately," North said to them.
Pitch knew what that meant, he was going to face the punishment for loving Grace. He looks at Grace, perhaps it would be the last time he did.
"I will accept the consequences that are to come," he said to her, "But just to let you know, even if I will be snuffed out of existence, I will always love you."
"And the same here and I will always believe in you," Grace replied and they shared one last embrace.
North ordered the yeti to take Grace back to the North Pole. Pitch got on Erebos, his eyes still locked on Grace, and the Pegasus went up into the sky. The others followed him and they flew up towards the moon.
From the author: Ha! Didn't I say to believe that Erebos would come back? (laughs) Anyway, don't worry, this is not yet the ending.