The Greatest Fear of the Nightmare King

Chapter 29

Over the course of the next few months, Pitch came to understand that he despised the sulfur-like smell the fearlings gave off.

It wasn't something he noticed when he'd been the one possessed, but nowadays when he wasn't busy scaring kids, he was watching over Jack, talking to him. He'd heard somewhere that talking to someone in a coma could help them wake and had no idea whether or not it would truly do anything, but he knew that if someone had been there, reaching out to him in his darkest moments, it would have given him a fighting chance to not fall so far into the fearlings grasp.

Jack's ice bed was low to the ground and Pitch sat in the snow, resting his hand atop his friend's.

No one could say when Pitch had decided that Jack, truly, was his friend. Their relationship always seemed to be crowded with other things- the fearlings, for the most part, but now that he had a lot of time on his hands and nothing to think about aside from his meetings with Mother Nature and his desire to have Jack return to his side, it had become all too apparent to himself that Pitch cared deeply for the frost spirit.

The Guardians were not dense enough to allow Pitch's frequent visits to Jack go unnoticed, but they'd said nothing to him about it yet, preferring to talk amongst themselves first about how different Pitch seemed from the Nightmare King they once knew and fought. Bunnymund was particularly stubborn in his viewpoint that Pitch was only manipulating them in a way they hadn't yet been manipulated, joining them and seeming genuinely concerned for Jack only out of a need to be accepted into their group and gain believers, but after so long of being around him, even Bunny began to consider Pitch to at least care about Jack, if nothing else.

And there was, indeed, very little else he cared about. Fear still plagued Pitch constantly, but now that he was gaining a somewhat strong group of believers, he was able to distract himself from his own panic and anxiety and focus on theirs. It was mutually beneficial, keeping the kids from going out at night or doing other various dangerous things, and keeping Pitch from losing himself to his terrors.

Now, it seemed, Pitch Black's terror was stronger than ever. That isn't to say that he caused a lot of fear, rather, his power was at an ordinary level- it was that during moments like these, when he sat at Jack's bed side, everything would seem to crash down on him at once, reminding him that he will inevitably be alone, regardless of the presence of others.

Mother Nature humored the stories of his past out of curiosity over the remaining shell of her father, not out of any feeling of friendship or care. Toothiana seemed to have some small amount of sympathy for him, but Pitch suspected the only thing she understood at all was that he wanted Jack awake- she certainly wouldn't care to know more, and her brightness and constant fluttering always put Pitch in a state of highly uncomfortable nervousness. Bunnymund...well, he barely tolerated him. The Sandman got close to some form of companionship, as Pitch and Sandy would often sit silently next to one another and Pitch appreciated Sandy's occasional attempts to give Jack good dreams. North seemed friendly, but as far as Pitch was concerned, it was fake- North was on edge often, and ready in case Pitch decided to betray them.

But, he wouldn't betray them. Not at this point. Pitch could not deny that there was and likely would always be antagonism with all the bad blood between he and the other Guardians, but Pitch realized that he didn't care anymore about having fear rule the world. He only wanted that back then because he had believed it was the only way to not drown in the intensity of his own fear, but Jack Frost changed things. A lot of things. If only Jack would wake up, he would have someone who understood.

As it was, Pitch had to stay with the hollow form of his one and only true companion, crying out of fear, anger, sadness, longing, it didn't matter anymore. He was nothing but a shadow calling out from this terrible, endlessly white, snowy place, wishing that somehow, in whatever darkness Jack's mind currently resided in, he could hear something. Anything.

Quietly, Sandy made his way to the crying Nightmare King, giving an empathetic look his way that Pitch missed entirely with his intense desire to ignore the fact that he'd been caught in such a horrid state. Without even a single sand symbol, Sandy pointed Pitch to the moon that hung large and heavy in the night sky. Pitch hadn't even noticed it had gotten dark, so lost in his woe. No matter, Pitch wiped the tears from his face, trying to retain whatever dignity he could at this point, staring at the Sandman questioningly.

In response, Sandy depicted a person talking, and then pointed once more to the moon.

Pitch's voice came out harsh than he expected."Why would he listen? For three hundred years, the Man in the Moon made it clear that he didn't care about Jack, he only turned him into a Guardian because I was going to destroy all of you. It would be entirely pointless, even if he were to hear what I have to say, he never really listens. Not to anyone."

With a stern and angry look from Sandy, who began to shoo Pitch away so he could give Jack a good dream, Pitch began to consider it. What did he have to lose, at this point?

A lot. A distance away from the workshop and from Jack's bed, Pitch looked up to the moon. This wouldn't be the first time he talked to the Man in the Moon, but it would be the first time he wanted a response.

"All eyes on me, old friend."

Pitch waited until the moon began to glow just a bit brighter, only then deciding that he was being heard. "You're not ignoring me, this time. You're going to do Jack Frost a favor, or I will take Jack into my own hands and betray the Guardians."

It was as though Pitch could hear Jack in his head, saying something like 'Threatening him? ....I don't think that's gonna work, Pitch. Might wanna work on your angle a bit'. He ignored that thought. Jack didn't say anything.

"Darkness cannot be fought with further darkness. I've tried everything I can, and Jack has only suffered for my failures. Your Guardian of Fun is in danger, you must take action, you have no choice but to bring him back."

"No. You must be the one to bring him back. You have the light still sleeping within you."

Startled, Pitch fell back, his butt hitting the snow ungracefully as he stared up at the moon in shock at having heard anything. "Wha- What on Earth are you talking about? I am a creature of darkness. I don't have a light."

"Find one."