A/N: Well some of you are getting antsy about the chapters and being much to close to the movie… Unfortunately I still need some lines from the movie but it should be relatively different…

Chapter 23 – Pitch Black the Nightmare King

3rd POV

Jack laughed as they flew through the sky towards the Tooth Palace; he wasn't too sure as to why he was going along to help but who wouldn't turn down a sleigh ride.

"It's just a little trip Roo; you're not going to fall out. Relax." Jack laughed as he saw bunny's claws scrape the wood once more after they hit a bit more turbulence. It didn't help that the wind was pushing them faster wanting to play.

"I'm a Bunny mate, we don't fly. We stay nice and safe on the ground where we can feel the steady earth and the familiar buzz of life that it makes." Aster replied clenching his eyes shut. Jack hummed before looking back at the view, he could understand; when he first woke he was wary of flying. He needed to have both feet on the ground, he couldn't understand why nor now.

"Hey Roo, check out this view!" Jack laughed as the wind took him from the sleigh to the skid. Aster blanched as panic clenched at his chest, his claws gouging the side as he shakily pulled himself to look over.

"Give a bloody rabbit a heart attack. Bloody show pony!" Aster hissed hiding his relief as Jack laughed and jumped back into the sleigh next to a laughing Sandy.

"Cheer up Bunny, you need to panic less and enjoy more." Jack laughed before stopping as they were sucked through a snow globe portal and into the blistering heat.

"Oh strewth, I knew we should have taken the tunnels. Safer, less molecule bending." Aster moans as the familiar tug and pull sensation of being dragged through the portal subsided, his body relaxing at the warmth.

"What!?" North muttered confused as he sees black streaks flying towards them. "What iz this?"

Jack's eyes move rapidly as he see's something completely different from the others, his eyes glazed as he found himself surrounded by fighting figures and black objects that reek of death. "Death…" Jack breathed before letting out a battle cry and flying through the air to see what they were taking.

"They're taking the fairies!" He yelled before snatching a fairy from the air into the safety of his hands and dropped back down. "Hey little Baby Tooth, you okay?" he asked softly, but his voice still seemed far away. He couldn't hear the chittering of the baby teeth or the cries from the others. He could hear the screaming of people, family and the song of his heart – his people – begin to die out.

Aster rubbed his chest in confusion as Jack brushed up against him while Sandy looked on at the black Sand in confusion. What was going on, were these fearlings or something new Pitch had created.

"Jack take sleigh!" North ordered as he saw Tooth fight more of the monstrosities and was beginning to loose. He shoved the reins in the boys' hands before jumping down, his swords drawn ready to fight.

Both Aster and Jack blanched as he took the reins from north and steered the sleigh around the palace, avoiding the rocks and the architecture the best he could while Aster and Sandy fought the beats that decided to attack them.

"Better hold on! It's going to be a bumpy landing!" Jack informed the others over his shoulder before laughing and jerking the sleigh down. Sandy lifted his arms in the air with excitement while Aster had to once again hold back the bile that wished to surface and paint the inner sleigh with carrots. With a grunt they crashed onto one of the landings and skidded to a stop near the end, Aster quickly hopped out and made his way to Tooth and North.

"You alright, Shelia?" He asked while Sandy and Jack stayed back on lookout. Both of them having their own discussion on what went on in the sleigh, Sandy didn't miss the distant look before the boy's face went ashen and twisted in to agony and rage.

"Everything, everything is gone! They took all my fairies and the teeth! Why would they do that?" she sobbed into North's chest. Baby Tooth at hearing her mother's distress shot out of Jack's hoodie and into her hands in a form of comfort.

Laughter filled the palace, one that sent chills up and down Jack's spine in familiarity. One that he knows that he's never heard in his three hundred years but it was something that his instincts couldn't forget.

"Oh, you don't know how much this pleases me to see you all in one place…" Pitched laughed out as he looked down upon them but Jack heard no more.

His free hand clutched his head as it throbbed with blurry images, sounds and scents. Tooth's home smelled like fresh springs and fruits, now all he could smell was fire and death, of burning crops and bodies with hair. Pain had radiated from within as he clutched his head tighter, the sound of laughter and swishing of blades clacking together as the world turned around him fading in and out from the Palace to the agony in his head. Was this a trick?

"Maybe I want what you have. To be believed in."

"You should all surrender now! I will defeat you!"

"Maybe I'm tired of hiding under beds."

"Give up Tecomanthe and I won't kill your precious mate Phlox."

"And is that...Jack Frost?" Pitch asked with a laugh, knocking Jack from the confusing memory. "Since when were you so chummy?"

"We're not." Jack replied, spinning for any signs of the nightmare king. Spinning when he heard the voice finally speak from behind him, Pitch stood leaning against the golden cage like structure bored.

"Oh, a neutral party then. I'm going to ignore you. But, you must be used to that by now." He sneered out in a laugh. Jack could hear Bunny and Tooth shout something but his words brushed over him. Ignoring everything as his eyes lock onto the large horse that now stood by Pitches side on a higher platform, it was nothing like the blurred things in the weird images that pop into his head; these things looked more like sand than beings.

"What's happening?" Jack asked as Tooth sunk to the floor, dust of colour raining down on them as black and grey crack across the mighty palace.

"Children are waking up and realizing the Tooth Fairy never came. Didn't they tell you, Jack? Being a guardian has its advantages; yes. But when children begin to lose their belief in their heroes…" Pitch laughed as he gestured to the room around him and the decay that had begun. "Well, wonder, hopes and dreams it begins to all go away and little by little, so do they."

Horror filled Jack as his wide eyes locked onto the Guardians. Yes they were never there for him when he needed someone, Bunny had an instant dislike towards him because of the blizzard in 68' but Sandy was his friend; wishing star or not he didn't know what would happen to them if the children stopped believing nor would he wish that on anyone but maybe Pitch.

Frost shot out of his staff as he let out a cry of rage at the nightmare king, causing a surprised Pitch to dive off the platform as Aster let loose a boomerang in the frost's wake. The four Guardians and Jack dived after him, only to land by the lagoon as he disappears into the shadows.

North, Sandy and Aster spoke about Pitch and what they will do while Tooth explained to Jack what she does for the children. Though there was always one question that bothered Tooth when she heard Jack became a spirit was his tooth box, he didn't have one.

"The teeth hold the good and most important memories of childhood; we help the children remember…" She told him as he looked up at the large mural. "My fairies and I watch over them. We had everyone's."

"Why are you confused?" Jack asked, never tearing his eyes away from the wall.

Tooth looked at the others and then down at Jack, "I didn't have a box for you, I checked."

At hearing the news Jack shrugged, "I woke up three hundred years ago by the moon, there is nothing before that."

Tooth covered her mouth to stifle a gasp while the others shared a look, even Sandy didn't know about how Jack was created into the Frost child. Besides he and Bunnymund, North and Tooth were someone before they were guardians. North being a bandit and Tooth is the last sister of flight.

Jack's eyes flashed his body turning and caught Tooth before she fell into the water as the mural began to decay. A sob breaking past her lips as she watched feathers fall into the clear water.

"We're too late… the children…" she whispered in shock.

North shook his head in angry disbelief. "No! No! No such thing as too late! I have idea!"

Jack watched amused as North danced around, pointing his sword at all of them in his joy.

"What if! What if we collect teeth?" He shouted excitedly, his eyes large and sparkling.

"What? We're talking seven continents! Millions of kids!" Tooth rushed out, "It can't be done with just the six of us!"

Nick laughed and waved away at her concerns, "Give me break! You know how many toys I deliver in one night?"

"And eggs I hide in one day?" Aster stated proud, Sandy nodded and flicked out a few tendrils of sand. All eyes turned to Jack expectantly; they weren't too sure on his decision.

In fact he didn't know what he was going do until now, there was so much rage and grief welled beneath fog at the image of Pitch. He had created it somehow and his body craved vengeance.

Looking at the others he smirked, "I'm in."

A/N: Well here you go! Hope this was better and a bit more me than the last chapters!

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