...*H*ave you felt the rush of *Fear*?...

...I have... everyone has......

...But when I opened my eyes, I didn't ever want to blink ever again. The Moon was so bright, so bright that the fear didn't consume me...no....

...I consume Fear......

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...*C***onfused...lost…...

...I felt lost?... confused... It was dark…...

...When I opened my eyes, I regretted ever opening my eyes. It was unbearable, and all I wanted to do was keep my eye shut from that thing... Keep everything shut into pitch black**, where no one can see anything but feel...

...Fear......

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..."Two halves that were once one person were forbidden to be one again"...

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...She blinked, once, two, three....

Then she looked around and saw... Him. And he saw... Her. The two stared at each other, not quite understanding why it had to be silent, making it more awkward for the two.

The man's shadow reached out instinctively without even knowing her, and the woman's tattoos on her arms flickered.

"Hello..." she waved at him, he gave the gesture back slowly. The woman's lips formed a downward smile at that, earning a chuckle from the man.

She tilted her head to the side, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you...speak?" she stated, teasing.

He looked down at himself, then back at her.

"Probably?" he responded, voice laced with sarcasm as he grins, a chuckle came from her.

"The names Aurelia... Aurelia Twilight" her voice is soft, testing it.

The man tilted his head, studying her like a reflection he couldn’t quite place.

"Aurelia..." he echoed, slower. "Beautiful name..."

She smiled at that, slightly red. "And you...?"

He looked up at her at that "Pitch... Pitch Black"

Aurelia blinked at that, before humming

"Pitchiner... Yeah, I'm calling you that…"

Pitch rolled his eyes at that, but the corner of his lips quirk up.

Aurelia points a finger at him, beaming

"Ah hah! You're smiling!" "You're imagining..." "Admit it, I'm nice to be around" Pitch just shrugged, making Aurelia slump.

When Pitch was about to walk to look around, her hand reached out to his wrist, gripping it, making his breath hitch. "What...are you doing?"

He looked, his dull golden-yellow meeting two gleaming golden bright irises, he froze. Confused? No, recognition...

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...The two beings felt sparks, electricity sparks?... No, something else that no one can name....

...Just two Spirits never meant to meet, but they do say. "No one was sent to you by accident."...

...By that, they grew close through on the years of being together, not knowing a misunderstanding could happen soon....

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"Pitchiner?..." her eyes were wide, voice cracked.

At the sound of his name, he tensed. Slowly turning around, the sight of his equal, looking at him with betrayal and fear. "Goldie, I can explain—" "What have you done?..."

Her eyes slowly trailed down to the motionless horse's body, its eyes hollow empty, slowly placing a hand over her mouth, backing away. "Goldie, please—" Pitch took a step, the surrounding ground turned into liquid stars, burning and trapping him. She took the chance to sprint off, leaving him screaming her name in plea.

She ran as fast as she could, until his voice faded, until she was far enough, far from him.

She came to a stop on an opening, her knees gave up immediately. Tears came from her eyes, slowly flowing down to her cheek, no ordinary tears, more likely fresh light glowing tears...

...She looked up at the Moon, bright enough her shadow trailed over the ground, looking like it was reaching back to the direction she ran from....

..."I made a mistake, didn't I?" slow, a whisper, a plea....

...No answer.....

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.....White and Black trail zoomed past through Aurora City, racing to the entrance of Eclipsie. The two Twighlits came to a half when faced with their Keeper of the in-between. The Twighlit flew close to her ears, whispering in their language, she frowned after the Twighlit backed away....

"Tell the other Twighlits to continue their scouting while I'm away.."

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...[Nikolas St. North, Workshop]...

Upon arrival, the other three Guardians were in a bickering chaos, she stood beside Sandman, who was trying to grab the other three's attention. Aurelia just watched in amusement.

The argument of Bunnymund and North, Toothiana's orders to her little fairies. To be interrupted by Sandy shaking an elf, producing the sound of bells. The three Guardians silence and their attention shifted to Sandy, who was making glyphs to communicate, pointing up, a crescent moon forming above his head.

North beamed. "Hah! Man in Moon! Sandy, why didn't you say something?". Sandy gave North a deadpan stare, while Aurelia chuckled. Dreamsand smoke shoots out of his ears, as she pats his hair.

North turns to Manny. " it's been a long-time, old friend! What is big news?" Waiting for an answer. Everyone looks at the center of the spot where the moonlight was, the light ebbs away, leaving a dark spot. It resolves into the shadow silhouette of Pitch. The other Guardians look shocked, except Aurelia. She was looking up at the globe, shoulders tense.

"It is Pitch…" Bunny, who was in disbelief. North pats his belly and gives Bunny a look.

"Manny, what must we do?" North looks up to the moon again. To answer, the circle of the moonlight intensifies, illuminating an ornate symbol at the very center of their circle. The symbol rises out of the ground, revealing a large gem at the head of the pillar.

"Ah, guys, you know what this means?" Tooth questioned, her excitement transferring to her fairies. "New Guardian..." Aurelia huffed, crossing her arms against her chest.

The moon's light suddenly refracts through the gem, casting light all over the chamber.

"He's choosing a new Guardian." North was in awe, and Bunny wasn't so happy. "What?! Why?" Bunny exclaimed, quite taking it almost as an insult.

"Must be big deal! Manny thinks we need help!" North replied to Bunny, continuing to stare just to have a glimpse of who the new Guardian would be.

"Since when do we need help?!" Bunny, who was beyond annoyed. "Pitchin-... Pitch has new ways at doing things. He's using Black Sand, when have we seen that?". At Aurelia's words, Bunny's ears flopped.

"I wonder who's its gonna be?" The overworked happy-go-lucky, Tooth, changed the subject. Above Sandy's head took the form of a Four-Leaf clover. "Maybe the Leprechaun?"

"Please not the groundhog, please not the groundhog" Bunny has his eyes closed and fingers crossed.

After the bright flash and the rush of wind, a form resolved over the center pillar. Tall, hooded, bearing a hooked staff.

Aurelia stared beside Sandy, before giving an approved nod. "Hm, not bad Manny" she said, clapping silently.

The rest of the Guardians stood there, shocked. While the little tooth-fairies swoon.

"'Not bad'?! I take it back, the Groundhog's fine!" Bunny complained, making Aurelia roll her eyes. "It's Jack Frost, not like he will suck your eggs." Bunny's head snapped in her direction, offended.

"Well, ah, as long as he helps to ah—protect the children, right?" Tooth said, swooning. Aurelia raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, don't pretend, Toothian, you just want his teeth. And I quote, 'There's so beautiful, like white as snow'" she smirked, which made Tooth turn away and cross her arms, her cheeks puffed.

"Jack Frost? He doesn't care about children! All he does is freeze water pipes and mess with my egg hunts. Right? He's an irresponsible, selfish-" Bunny rambles, only to be cut off by North.

"Guardian." North, still staring in awe at the statue of their new Guardian. Which made Bunny stop in his tracks.

"Jack Frost is many things, but he is not a Guardian." Bunny stated, turning to the hooded figure as well.

"You don't have to overrate because he ruined your Easter, besides, I didn't think you'd be a good pick for a Guardian, but hey, look at you."

"What?! Okay, Lia. You have to stop offending me." Bunny pointed at her, but her did look offended. Making Aurelia smirk.

"Okay, enough chit-chat, who wants to get the new Guardian?" North questioned. "I will" Bunny stepped forward, his answer was too immediate. "Do you mind me borrowing your threads, Lia?". Aurelia shoved a long glowing gold thread to Bunnymund's chest, huffing.

"Thank you?..." Bunny, who blinked in disbelief. Before walking around to find the itchiest sack and two yetis that could accompany him.

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..."Two beings weren't meant to be in the same situation, even if it is a situation where nothing but the tension of their Presence"...

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Dreamsand descends from the sky, and drifts into windows around the town. One stream goes into a window, where a little girl is on her bed, hugging a stuffed unicorn. The Dreamsand swirls over her head and morphs into a little girl riding a unicorn, the lovely dream made the little girl smile on her sleep as it glides around the room.

Then, the room darkens as a wispy shadowy figure crawls out from under the bed and rises, the laugh dies down as he observes the girl's dream.

"Ohhh, I thought I heard the clippity-clop of a unicorn. What an adorable dream!" Seemingly moved, his face softened.

"And look. At. Her. Precious child. So sweet, so full of hope, comfort, and wonder. Why, there's only one thing missing... A touch of fear." He reaches his bony fingers to the unicorn, the moment he pressed his finger into it. It turns ashen and black. The girl flinches in her sleep, the man snickers, delighted.

"Hahaha! That never gets old!" he swirls the Dreamsand around, turning into black corrupted Nightmare.

"Feel your fear. Come on, come on, that's right" The black sand morphs into a horrific, shadowy bunching horse, a Nightmare.

"Yesss, what a pretty little nightmare" He grabs the Nightmare, gleeful "Now, I want you to go tell the others, the wait is over."

At his words, the Nightmare hoes out the window, where it joins a posse of other Nightmares. They took off and flew into the night sky.

The man steps out into the street from an adjacent alley, the rays of moonlight. He looks up to the sky, staring at the moon.

"Don't look at me like that, old friend. You must have known this day would come. My Nightmares are finally ready. Are your Guardians?"

... No response, in which the man hummed at.

"I forgot to ask...." the man turned back to the moon, a gleeful grin played on his lips.

..."How is my Goldie?" ...

Meanwhile, a little Twighlit saw everything from the little girls room, about to flee. A Nightmare appeared right in front of it before it could fly away from the window. The little Twighlit let out a tiny shriek, it was sucked inside the Nightmare.

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...[Meanwhile, the moment Jack Frost got out the sack]...

"Wow, you gotta be kidding me" Jack scans the room, before two yetis suddenly grab Jack by the shoulder and lift him up to his feet. The long thread fell to the floor before it vanished.

"Hey, hey. Whoa, put me down"

"I hope the yetis treated you well?" North questioned, hiding his amusement well.

"Oh yeah, I love being shoved in a sack and tossed through a magic portal" Jack gave the yetis a look. Aurelia huffed in amusement at that, crossing her arms.

"His my favorite for a reason" Aurelia pointed, Bunny gave her a look while grumbling.

"Oh good! That was my idea! You know Bunny obviously" North gestures to Bunny, standing off to the side with Aurelia, grumbling with his arms crossed.

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...To be continued......

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