Author's Note: Hi, everyone! We're getting to the main climax; I hope you're all excited to see how this story turns out! This was arguably the chapter I had the most fun writing. However, the rhyme at the end is what caused me to be a little late posting this chapter, as I couldn't for the life of me come up with a rhyme for the longest time that I thought worked. But now I have. Anyways, please enjoy!
The nightmare mare led Jack into the heart of Pitch's lair, the cavernous surroundings enveloping them in an oppressive darkness. As they reached their destination, Jack dismounted from the creature, a lingering unease settling over him. The nightmare mare turned its head to look back at him, its eyes gleaming in the dim light.
After a moment's pause, the nightmare mare started to descend a winding staircase that seemed to lead into the very depths of darkness below. Jack hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady himself before following the creature down into the unknown.
The staircase opened up to a bridge that stretched across an abyss below, with empty birdcages dangling ominously from the ceiling. The scene was eerily reminiscent of Jack's last visit, and though he tried to shake off the unease, the familiarity of it all sent a chill down his spine.
In an attempt to lighten the mood and mask his discomfort, Jack made a casual comment to the nightmare mare, "Pitch must not like redecorating, huh?" He half-expected a snarky response or some form of acknowledgement, but the creature only emitted a shallow breath in response.
They continued to cross the bridge in silence, the only sounds echoing in the cavern were the rhythmic footsteps of Jack and the mare, along with the occasional creaks of the birdcage doors swaying in the faint and musky breeze that permeated the dark realm.
Continuing down a dark corridor carved from stone, seemingly leading deeper into the underground, the pair finally stepped into a large, open room. It appeared empty except for a hunched-over figure in the corner, leaning over a piano and playing an eerie tune. The haunting melody filled the cavern, echoing in the dimly lit space.
Jack was about to clear his throat to announce his presence, but the nightmare mare beat him to it. It let out a resounding neigh as it galloped from Jack's side over to the figure. The pianist stopped playing and gently petted the creature's snout. The figure's back was still turned to Jack, and its voice, barely more than a whisper, uttered words that Jack strained to hear but couldn't quite make out, no matter how hard he tried.
Growing impatient with being ignored, Jack finally caught on to the figure's identity, especially given the nightmare mare's calm demeanour around him. Taking a deep breath, Jack called out, "Pitch!" He raised his staff, demanding that Pitch release Hiccup.
The outburst caused Pitch to stop petting the nightmare mare, and with a snap of his fingers, it disintegrated into blackened sand, falling to the floor. Slowly, Pitch turned to face Jack, his face partially covered by half of a mask, permanently set in a frown.
With a mocking tone, he asked Jack, "What's this? Not even worth a simple hello? No 'how have you been'?" Pitch's words revealed a bitter truth – while Jack may not have been thinking about Pitch since their last encounter, Pitch had been consumed by thoughts of Jack.
He savoured the moment, relishing in having Jack before him once again. He spoke with a bitter edge, remarking, "It's always the case, isn't it? Once your nemesis is done with you, you're tossed aside like a rubbish bag or an ex-partner." Pitch's voice was filled with a venomous satisfaction before he added, "I'm sick of being forgotten."
Jack, undeterred, repeated his demand for Pitch to let Hiccup go. The words seemed to pierce through Pitch's facade. His slight grin dropped to a frown, mirroring the expression on his mask. With a snap of his fingers, Hiccup appeared in front of Pitch, seemingly trapped in an endless nightmare. Hiccup talked in his sleep, his facial expressions revealing the torment he endured.
The guardian's staff sparked with an icy glow, ready to launch a blast at his foe, but Pitch, using the blackened sand that bound Hiccup's hands and feet, lifted his captive into the air, effectively using him as a human shield. Jack hesitated, lowering his weapon in the face of the helpless situation.
With Hiccup suspended in the air, Pitch took the opportunity to taunt Jack. "It's always the same, isn't it? No matter how tough a guardian thinks they are, they always have a weakness." Pitch's voice echoed through the cavern. "Much like North with Eleanor, love seems to be your greatest weakness, Jack. Love is good for one thing, you know? It gives way to fear."
Pitch's words seemed to reverberate endlessly, bouncing off the walls and echoing in Jack's head. He continued, "And right now, you reek of fear and desperation." Pitch laughed, relishing in seeing Jack tremble slightly.
As Pitch's taunting words echoed in Jack's head, another familiar voice joined the cacophony. At first, it was faint, barely audible, but it grew louder and louder until it was a full-on scream. The voice chanted, "Nightlight, bright light, Sweet dreams I bestow," adding in the same eerie rhyming manner that by embracing him, Jack could do what he could not and save the one he cared about.
With the two voices bombarding him, Jack couldn't take it anymore. He shouted, begging indirectly for both voices to shut up. Cupping his face in his hands, he struggled to keep it together. The overwhelming pressure caused Pitch to sneer, thinking that he was getting to Jack more than he had expected.
Pitch drew Jack's attention back to him as Nightlight continued his persuasive chants. Pitch removed the mask covering his face, revealing the scarred features underneath. With a sneer, he informed Jack that this was the "gift" Jack had left him with after their last encounter.
Leaning in, Pitch told Jack that he was going to inflict so much pain that Jack would wish it was just a nightmare. A malicious grin spread across Pitch's face as he formed a small point out of the blackened sand, holding it up to Hiccup's neck. He informed Jack that he planned to make sure Jack and North had something more in common than a mere association with winter – Hiccup would be Jack's Eleanor.
As Pitch inched closer to Hiccup's neck, Jack screamed, begging Pitch not to go through with it, offering to do anything Pitch wanted. The plea caused Pitch to pause momentarily, relishing in the power he held over Jack.
"I do enjoy seeing you beg, Jack. Say it again," Pitch commanded, savouring the moment.
Overcome with fear for Hiccup's well-being, Jack screamed again, pleading with Pitch to spare him.
Hearing Jack's repeated pleas, Pitch lowered the weapon away from Hiccup, gleefully enjoying Jack's helplessness. Deciding to test just how far he could take Jack's fear, he snapped his fingers, revealing the bound and sleeping forms of Toothiana, North, Bunnymund, and Sandy. With a sinister smirk, he remarked to Jack that he had expected the first three to go down easily enough but hadn't anticipated Sandy being so easily put to sleep, given his role as the guardian of dreams. All of them appeared to be in the same nightmare-induced state as Hiccup, occasionally flinching and muttering in their sleep about the nightmares they were experiencing.
Seeing this, Jack couldn't contain his anger and frustration. He demanded to know why Pitch had involved the other guardians. The question, however, was met with a blindside as Pitch unleashed a blast of blackened sand, sending Jack flying into the nearby wall. The impact jolted through his body, causing pain to echo as he lost his staff in the process of the blast.
"Why?" Jack seethed, his voice a mixture of anger and desperation.
Pitch mocked him with a sinister chuckle. "Why? Because I once tried to help you, Jack. We were the same—forgotten by the world. When I offered you my hand, a partnership, you chose the guardians, and look what they made of you, of me" Pitch taunted, his words dripping with malice.
Wincing in pain, Jack tried to appeal to Pitch's ego. "Is that offer still valid?" he asked desperately, promising to take Pitch's side if it meant the release of the others, including Hiccup. Pitch seemed to entertain the idea, responding with a sinister smile. "Okay," he said, extending his arm for Jack to shake on it.
Stumbling towards Pitch, his desperation growing more apparent, Jack's eyes darted between Hiccup, the guardians, and Pitch's outstretched hand. As he weakly grasped Pitch's hand and shook it, Jack watched in horror as Pitch callously hurled Hiccup into the ceiling. The blackened sand holding him disintegrated, and Hiccup fell back to the ground with a sickening thud.
Outraged and confused, Jack demanded to know why Pitch did that, reminding him that they had shaken on a deal. Pitch, with a chilling grin, replied, "I did promise to let them go. I didn't say I wouldn't hurt them first."
Blindsided by the revelation, Jack was tossed backward, landing beside Hiccup. Despite being free from the nightmare and Pitch's control, Hiccup remained unconscious and visibly battered. Pitch made his way over to the other guardians who were still bound, looming over them with malevolent intent.
Overwhelmed by fear and anger, Jack heard Nightlight's voice in his head once again, but this time it sounded more like his own voice. It repeated the familiar phrase, "Nightlight, bright light, Sweet dreams I bestow. Sleep tight, all night. Forever I will glow." Feeling the darkness within him rise, Jack added his own haunting verse, "Nightshade, shadow's bane, Embrace the darkness, break the chain. Dream deep, secrets steep, Forever in the shadows, my soul will seep." With these words, he embraced his whole self as the world around him went black.