Pitch sighed again for the fifth time in that hour. Everything was perfect when Nightingale was in his arms, but the moment she came home she became quiet. The laughs her father heard were short. Her smile gradually vanished.

She laughed quietly as he played with her hands. But her laughter wasn't as loud as it had been before. Nightingale let out quiet whimpers when she saw the fearlings behind her father.

Raven placed a hand on Pitch's shoulder. "It's alright. She's still laughing. She isn't afraid."

Pitch looked at Raven with heavy eyes. "But she isn't singing. Her laughter is slowly going away too." He stood up from his chair. "It concerns me in a way I can't understand or explain." He took a deep breath. "I had a feeling I shouldn't have given up Cupid. We should've tricked them like I first thought."

Raven placed a hand on Pitch's cheek. "We only discussed killing her. Don't be too hard on yourself. We also didn't have too much time to come up with something to get Nightingale back. It's not your fault. We'll find a way without the Guardians. We don't need them."

Pitch looked at Nightingale. "I just don't want her to fear the darkness. It can do so many things that the Guardians don't understand. Fear can have it's beneficial attributes, but," he paused, "Nightingale is too young to understand."

Raven smiled. "Which is why we are fighting to keep her. Because only we understand and can teach her to understand. We'll find a way." 

Pitch smiled at Raven and gently kissed her hand.

"Master!" Dark Jack ran in. "They've broke through! The Guardians are here!"

"What!?" Pitch snarled at Dark Jack. He sighed, pushing his hair back. "All of them?"

Dark Jack nodded with wide, shifting eyes. "Yes. They're all here. Every single one of them."

Pitch paused and a slow, sinister grin appeared on his face. "Let's have a little fun, shall we? Prepare the fearlings only."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How can you see through this?" Toothiana hovered above Cupid, holding her hand.

Cupid's eyes shifted. "Well, I'm going based off of memory really. I can probably see just as much as you. I don't have super seeing. Bare with me if I trip over something." She fell forward, tripping over a rock, pulling Jack and everyone in the line forward.

Toothiana laughed. "I saw that."

Jack helped Cupid up with a smiled. "You okay?"

Cupid blushed, thankful they were all in the dark. "Yeah." Her face grew serious. "We should be close." 

North laughed quietly. "After all it's not like we're already thousands of feet under the ground."

Cupid let out a small laugh. "It's just a little further from here. Not too far."

"I'd say you don't have to go further." Pitch's voice echoed around them.

"Get together!" Bunnymund pulled out his boomerang.

The guardians were now back to back with another guardian except for Raynerof. He spawned his scythe and stood in front of the group. His eyes shifted around the room, looking for Pitch. "You're a pretty big coward for hiding yourself in this darkness."

Pitch laughed. "Don't worry. I have a special plan for you, Raynerof."

Raynerof felt the floor below him disappear and fall down into a new area.

Cupid's eyes shifted all around, but she couldn't see past her own nose. "Rayner, are you still here?" Cupid called out. "Rayner!"

Pitch stepped forward in front of the guardians, manipulating the darkness so they could see him. He grinned at the group. "I'll make you a deal. You can all walk out of here freely if Cupid surrenders herself."

Jack's eyes widened and he stepped in front of Cupid. "What do you want with her?"

Pitch rolled his eyes. "I'll take that as a no. I was really hoping to avoid such complications." He paused. "But think carefully, Jack. You hardly know her. Why do you care what happens to her?"

Jack's eyes narrowed. "I remember her now."

"That's not what I meant, Jack." Pitch suddenly grinned and took a step forward. "You should really think about what you're doing."

"Jack!" Cupid screamed.

Jack turned around but couldn't see Cupid. He couldn't see anyone, not even Pitch. It was dark and everyone was gone. Jack gripped his staff tightly. "Where are my friends!? What have you done?"

"You consider Cupid a friend?" Pitch disappeared and his laugh echoed around Jack. "That really is funny. Last time I checked, friends don't forget each other. They also don't betray each other. She attacked Tooth and Bunnymund. Worst of all, she locked you in a cage and is responsible for Dark Jack and so much more."

Jack whirled around and saw Toothiana glaring at him.

"Jack, you consider Cupid a friend?!" Toothiana's eyes narrowed. "How could you? After all, she's the reason we're even in THIS mess. You side with Cupid? Is that the real reason you didn't want us to leave her in the ice prison?"

Jack's eyes widened. "But you..."

"Jack," North stepped forward. "Cupid tried to hurt us. Several times. We couldn't even trust her now. She led us to Pitch himself before we could even reach Nightingale. Do you still want to save her?"

Jack stepped back. "But all of that stuff before wasn't her! It was the fearling inside her!"

Bunnymund huffed. "So I guess we shouldn't blame her that she fell into the darkness. We shouldn't blame her for giving in. She had a choice Jack! Just like you had a choice!"

Jack's brows furrowed. "She was weak! Not everyone deals with darkness the same way. She's different from us. She's not even a Guardian. She's different from us."

Bunnymund stepped dangerously close to Jack. "Then I guess it's better we weed her out. This way none of us have to worry about her. And it is just as you said. She's not a Guardian. She's not like us."

Jack gripped his staff tightly. "If we do that then Pitch wins. He needs Cupid. Don't you get it!?That's why we're--"

"Letting you suck face with her?!" Toothiana punched Jack down. She turned to Bunnymund. "You were right all those years ago, Bunnymund. Since when do we need help? We should've tossed you aside from the beginning. We should have never let you become a Guardian."

Jack looked up at Toothiana with wide eyes. "What? But... I was chosen. The man in the moon chose me himself. I'm a Guardian! I saved my sister!" He recalled all the reasons he joined the Guardians. He even recalled his adventure that led him to finding out he why he was chosen.

Toothiana shook her head. "I guess MiM was wrong when he chose you. You should have never been a Guardian."

"But I--"

Dark Jack's laugh echoed. "So I'm guessing he's out of your little group. Safe to say he's all on his own?" He smirked.

Toothiana glared at Dark Jack. "You can have him. He's always giving us nothing but mischief anyway." She hovered away.

Bunnymund looked at Jack with narrow eyes. "You're on your own." The Guardians walked away, not looking back at Jack.

Jack looked at the Guardians with wide eyes. "But we--" He let out a grunt as Dark Jack kicked him onto his core. Dark Jack grabbed Jack by his hood, threw him, and shot him with ice, making him slide several feet away. He grabbed Jack's hair and kneed Jack in his core, making Jack scream.

North's eyes widened as he heard Jack's scream. He looked all around him, but could see nothing. He had lost his friends the moment Cupid screamed. "Jack! Jack, where are you?"

Pitch stepped forward, with his hands behind his back. 

North stepped back, moving his swords forward. 

Pitch grinned. "What was the name of your lovely wife again?" 

North's eyes narrowed. 

Pitch took slow steps toward North. "Cloe, Cara, Carla." 

North stepped back with every step Pitch took forward.

"Ah!" Pitch snapped and held one finger up. "Clara. What a beautiful name don't you think?" He smiled. "She was lovely, wasn't she? Didn't she have the potential of being a Guardian?"

North's grip on his swords grew tighter. His brows crashed together. Pitch was getting at something. Knowing him, there was always one truth and one thousands lies in whatever he told you.

Pitch smirked. "But there was something about her heart, some sort of darkness that held her back."

"It wasn't darkness!" North stopped moving back. "She was full of light, joy, and wonder."

"Ah, yes that's right. Little Clara didn't have any sort of darkness in her. There was something else in her heart that stopped her from being a Guardian." Pitch grinned. "It was fear."

North lunged at Pitch, but Pitch blocked North's sword, spawing his scythe at the right moment.

"She was always afraid of the fact that she couldn't have a child!" Pitch struggled to move his scythe forward. "She was always worried that you might not have actually accepted the fact that she couldn't bare a child." He struggled to hold North back. "It made her insecure in fact. But she never told you anything about this did she?"

Pitch gained the upper hand on North, pushing him back a bit. North glared into Pitch's eyes. "She and I told each other everything. We were best friends. We had nothing to hide from each other." He pushed Pitch back several feet away from him.

"That's sounds very sweet." Pitch smiled and held up one finger. "However, did you ever think that you were the reason she couldn't bare a child?"

North's eyes widened and then he glared at Pitch. "Ombric said it was her. He examined her and everything!"

Pitch let out a few small laughs. "Of course he would. He would never want to hurt his own friend's feelings. Now, Clara on the other hand... She wasn't exactly a part of the village. Ombric had no attatchment to her."

North's eyes narrowed. "You're lying!" He swung his sword at Pitch, but Pitch vanished into the darkness. "Ombric would not do such a thing to anyone. He is a Guardian, not a scum like you, Pitch."

Pitch's laugh echoed. "Just think of how much heartache and insecurity that would have saved her if the truth were told. She would have felt efficient and she could have been a guardian."

North looked all around him, breathing heavily.

"You could have been together instead of growing old together."

"Pitch!"

Hearing North's scream, Bunnymund looked around, boomerangs at the ready.

"Bunny?"

Bunnymund's eyes widened at the sound of the familiar voice. "J-June?"

"Bunny?" She stepped forward into view. Her eyes were covered by her dirty blonde hair. "Is that really you?"  She took a step towards him, revealing a deep cut on her arm.

Bunnymund stepped back with wide eyes. "You're..."

June lifted her head, revealing her bloodshot eyes. "I'm what?... Ugly!?" Her brows crashed. "Is that why you got with that girl after me!? Is that why?"

Bunny shook his head. "It's not like that! I just--"

"Just what!? Did love me the way I loved you!?" She was glared at something besides Bunnymund.

Bunnymund's brows furrowed and he looked beside him. Northing was there. He looked back at June with wide eyes. "You're blind?"

June's brows were now knit together. "Of course I am! You don't remember how I died!? Was I some sort of game to you? Some sort of toy?"

"No! I just--"

"Loved another girl." She pushed Bunnymund down. "I believed in you, especially when you weren't there. How could you do this to me, you filthy rodent!?" She raised a fist in the air. "How did filth like you become a guardian!?"

Toothiana jumped the moment she heard Bunnymund's heart begin to race. She continued flying around, looking for one of her friends.

"Toothiana."

She paused and realized who was calling her. She turned around. "Damian?"

Damian smiled with his bright, green eyes. "Really long time no see."

Toothiana blinked and hovered back. She gasped when Damian began walking towards her. "But you're supposed to be--" 

"Dead?" Damian let out a small laugh. "You don't honestly believe that do you?" He lightly lifted Toothiana's chin. "Why else would you visit my grave?" 

Toothiana instantly moved out of Damian's reach. "This isn't right. Something about you is just wrong." 

Damian paused, and his eyes began to shift at the ground. He glared at Toothiana. "You know what else is wrong? Telling me all the horrible things you're going to do before it happens! If you really loved me, you wouldn't have done that! Jack did a way better job of that than you did!" 

Toothiana's eyes widened. "What?" 

Damian's eyes narrowed. "You know full well what I'm talking about. And what's worse, you played with my heart! You just wanted the romance you couldn't get with Jack!" 

Toothiana shook her head. "That wasn't it at all! I love you, Damian!" 

Damian rolled his eyes. "Save it. I'm in love with someone else anyway. A woman who I know loves me back and won't mess with my heart. She isn't anything like you." 

Toothiana felt her heart drop to the floor. Her stomach was hard and cold. 

Damian turned away. "You were worthless anyway." He let out a small laugh. "At least I know you would have done anything with me. Ha, you practically would've given me IT if I asked." He laughed as he walked away.

Toothiana lowered her head and closed her eyes tightly, forming fists. "I hate you, Damian!"

Cupid looked all around her. "Tooth!?... Rayner!?" She sat down. She stared at the pitch black surrounding. She couldn't see or hear anyone. She spawned a golden arrow and shot it, but it only ignited in the distance. She could barely see its light. She frowned and watched the surrounding around her shift.

"All alone again?" Pitch's laugh echoed. "You're doing that quite often."

Cupid closed her eyes tightly. "The guardians will find me!"

"I'm afraid that's not even close to true. You see," Pitch stepped into view, "I'll be your only friend from this point forward. They don't want to be your friends. They don't even like you."

Arms linked behind Cupid and held Cupid's arms back. Dark Jack laughed in her ear. Cupid struggled and glared at Pitch. "I can't help Nightingale and take away love from children."

Pitch smiled and nodded. "I know. That's why you're only going to do one of those things."

Cupid's brows furrowed.

Pitch began to circle Cupid and Dark Jack. "You don't like feeling alone, but you don't like wearing a mask that satisfies teenagers that are nothing like you. That's why you took those children in all those centuries ago. You have the biggest problem being mocked and made fun by people who don't even believe in you."

Cupid's eyes widened and she stopped struggling.

Dark Jack rubbed his cheek against Cupid's. "With us, you'll never be mocked, there will always be a child that will love you." He softly kissed Cupid's cheek. "And you'll be with me. You'll never have to be alone."

Cupid paused. She shook her head and glared at Pitch. "That's not what makes me tick."

Dark Jack smirked. "But think about it. You won't ever be alone, you won't be a misfit, you and Nightingale can be best friends."

Cupid lowered her head. "Not like this! Not with you!" She kicked back, but Dark Jack simply spread his legs.

Dark Jack laughed playfully. "You'll have to do much better than that, princess. I may not be Jack, but I can be so much more than him." He kissed Cupid's neck.

Suddenly, a blinding light burst like a giant flame. Cupid could barely make out a gentle smile in the center of the light. Dark Jack covered his eyes and let go of Cupid. Cupid stepped toward the light and could see that it was the dagger of a spectral boy that emmitted the light. Cupid grinned.

The boy waved and looked around. He gestured for Cupid to follow him and find the others. They quickly grabbed Bunnymund and North. Tooth, Sandy, and Jack followed the light of the dagger and they all flew out of the earth's core.