Newley painted and ready for the world, the eggs began to march out towards the tunnels and towards the surface. The guardians all gathered with proud smiles to watch. All of them happy with a job well done. Sophie had appeared to have tired herself out. She was curled up in Bunny's arms snoring. Tooth cooed softly. "Aww look at her".

"Poor little anklebiter", Bunny chuckled. "She's all tuckered out". Dia smiled softly and brushed some of her hair behind her ear.

"I love her", Tooth sighed. "I think it's time to get her home". Above her shoulder, baby tooth squeaked in agreement. Bunny smoothly passed Sophie to her arms, careful not to wake her.

Jack stood up. "Why don't I take her?"

"Jack", tooth protested. "No, pitch is out there".

"He's no match for this", Jack gestured to his staff.

"Which is why we need you here with us", Bunny replied.

"Trust me", Jack grinned. "I'll be as quick as a bunny".

"But we need someone to watch the eggs", North protested.

"I'll do that", Dia volunteered. "The dark underground doesn't scare me. You guys go an prepare things on the surface. Jack can take Sophie home. I'll escort the eggs with the yetis". He shrugged with a smile. "It shouldn't be that hard. The tunnels are still bunny's territory right? I'll be fine". Dia skipped after the eggs before anyone could protest.

Tooth glanced between him and Jack worriedly but gently handed Sophie over into Jack's waiting arms. "Okay. But be safe you two". Jack grinned at her but Tooth's worried expression didn't fade. Dia watched as Jack flew away. He waved at the blue figure, Jack sending him a parting smile. Once the boy had flown out one of the skylights to the world beyond, Dia began following the eggs.

"Meet you in the surface Dia!" North called. "Alert us if anything happens".

"See you in a bit", Dia called back just as he stepped into the tunnel. Almost immediately shadow began to swallow him. He wandered through the grass, eggs all around his feet. Flowers growing down from the ceiling glowed with a warm light. They illuminated the tunnel enough for Dia to walk comfortably. All was quiet apart from the slight scuttling of the Egg's tiny feet. Still, despite the calm atmosphere, something was pricking on the hairs on Dia's back. Nervously, he untied two of his scarves from his waist and clutched them in his fist.

Turning round, he could no longer see the entrance to the Warren. The tunnels magical. Several steps could be several countries. Sighing loudly in the silence, Dia continued forwards. Every so often a group of eggs would split off down a side tunnel to their surface location. Dia maintained his straight path as best he could. It was after what seemed like an hour of walking, that he felt a shiver down his spine.

Dia whirled round. Nothing. The tunnel behind him was dark, a circle of black. It was the startling realisation that the flowers were no longer glowing, that made him go on the alert. He tightened his hold on the scarves, willing them to burst into flames. As soon as fire blazed up, the flowers around him also went out. Dia was left standing in a circle of light. Darkness a thick black wall.

Normally darkness was a friend. Dia was a lantern and the dark never scared him. But this wasn't the comforting darkness of the land of the dead, or the breezy darkness of the outside. This black was thick and cloying. Suffocating and dry. Empty and cold. He didn't like it. Not one bit. This felt like a tomb. He had been in a few over the years and he didn't like it.

"Dia de los muertos", a cackling voice called.

"Pitch!" Dia yelled. "I know this is you! Come out you slimy fuck!" His voice echoed distantly. Words bouncing back mockingly. Dia gritted his teeth. He refused to be scared of this guy. He was not going to give him what he wants.

"Oh don't be like that Dia", pitch's voice tutted disapprovingly. There was a gust of wind that knocked Dia in the shoulder. He twisted round, fire growing in his hands. He still couldn't see anything. A sudden sharp series of cracking made him jump. The cracking continued and Dia winced as the golden eyes of a nightmare blurred past.

"No!" He yelled once he realised what the cracking noise was. They were breaking all the eggs. Ruining all their hard work. Attacking Easter. Dia shot out a burst of flames down the tunnel. All it illuminated was blackness. He turned, reaching for where the tunnel wall was supposed to be. Nothing. Dia yelped as he fell forwards. Stone beneath his feet where there should have been earth and grass.

"Oh Dia", Pitch sighed, like he was a misbehaving child. He melted out of the shadows and strolled round where Dia knelt. "We could be great you know. What works better than ghosts and dark? We are both monsters you and I. Halloween is a time for monsters. For pranks and creatures of nightmares. Join me and together we can rule the world".

"You've got it wrong", Dia growled. He pushed himself to his feet. Knees stinging from his rough fall onto stone. A deep warm light began to flicker in his chest as anger filled him. "I am not Halloween. I am the day of the dead! A day of remembrance and mourning. A day to grieve and honour your family! A time to celebrate life and love and to count your blessings! I am not a monster like you pitch!"

His voice echoed loudly around them as Dia struck. Yelling wordlessly in fury, he flicked his scarf like a whip. A tendril of fire pulling out from the fabric like a web and hitting where Pitch had just been standing. The boogeyman had dodged but Dia was quick to follow. He was charging in. Other scarf wrapped around his wrist as he punched Pitch in the face. Pitch fell back under the force of the blow. He glared up at Dia, one hand clutching his jaw.

"Oh that's a shame", Pitch commented. "We would have been good together". He smiled, all teeth and evil intent. "I know what you're really afraid of Dia".

Dia felt himself pale beneath his makeup.

"Dia!" A child's voice called. Dia froze, dread creeping up his spine.

"Dia! What do we do? Dia please!" More children's voices called. Their voices overlapping in panic. Dia stumbled, balance lost under sudden fear.

Pitch's grin widened into a satisfied smirk as he watched Dia's expression. He reached into the pockets of his black robes and withdrew a golden container that gleamed in the minimal light. On one end was a small picture. A boy with wavy brown hair and brown eyes, smiling widely. Dia made a choking noise.

"You recognise this don't you?" Pitch asked. He waved the baby teeth box mockingly. "Imagine how surprised I was to find that Dia's greatest fear was of his own past. Should I take credit? I think so. The dark ages was some of my best work". Pitch sighed nostalgically. "I have been saving this for you".

"Go to hell", Dia muttered, feeling sick. Pitch grinned.

"Been there. Now just go to sleep Dia. This will all be over soon". That was the last thing Dia heard before the darkness was crowding round him and a nightmare was charging straight at him. The horse rammed its head into Dia's chest. The impact shredding it into black sand with the force. Dia felt himself fallling. Then he knew no more.

——

"Jack?" The girl's voice called.

Jack stared down through the rotting wooden bed frame into the dark hole bellow. Baby tooth squeaking anxiously next to his ear. He couldn't see anything. It was all black. Against Baby tooth's warnings, and his own judgment, the winter spirit moved the bed frame out of the way and jumped down the hole.

Pitch's domain was a complex maddening series of stone staircases and walk ways. All shrouded in shadow and no tonic shades of grey. Jack crept along it, staff held out defensively. "Looking for something?" Pitch asked.

Jack sent a burst of frost towards the shadow man. He jumped after him. Following him up long staircases and through dark corridors. "Don't be afraid Jack", pitch spoke cheerfully. "I'm not going to hurt you".

"Afraid?" Jack retorted as he landed on a bridge. "I'm not afraid of you".

"Maybe not but you are afraid of something". Pitch stood on the other end of the bridge. Tall thin figure of black a grey. Just like his domain.

"You think so?"

"I know so! It's the one thing I always know", pitch turned to face him. "People's greatest fears. Yours is that no one would ever believe in you".

Jack gasped as the ground fell out beneath him. He tumbled through the air, landing heavily on another stone bridge. He fumbled for a minute for his staff, before standing. Pitch's voice continued to echo tauntingly. "And worst of all. You'll never know why. Why you?"

Jack turned and fled up and other corridor only to be faced with a wall. "Why were you chosen to be like this?" Pitch stepped out of the shadows before him, a creepy smile on his face. "Well fear not. The answer to it all is right here". He extended a hand. There it was. It was a gold container snapped like a half circle with marble and blue designs on the case. A brown haired boy was painted on one end. He had a mischievous quirk to his smile that Jack recognised.

"Do you want them Jack? Your memories?" Jack reached out but just as he was about to take them, pitch melted away. Jack flew after him. The boogeyman's chuckles echoing around the cavern. "Everything you've ever wanted, right here in this little box".

"Why did you end up unseen. Unable to reach out to anyone. You want the answers so badly. You want to grab them and fly off with them. But you're afraid of what the guardians would think. Your afraid that your memories might turn out to be bad like poor Dia's. You're afraid of disappointing them all. Well let me ease your mind about one thing. They'll never accept you. Not really. Not even cute little Dia".

"Stop it!" Jack growled, backing away. "Stop it".

"After all", Pitch smirked as he stepped out of the dark. Jack levelled his staff at him. "You're not one of them".

"You don't know what I am", Jack snarled angrily.

"Of course I do. You're Jack Frost. You make a mess wherever you go. Why you're doing so right now in fact". Pitch tossed the teeth box and Jack caught it in surprise.

"What did you do?" Jack asked with growing panic.

"More to the point Jack", Pitch smiled. "What did you do? Let's see if you last as long as Dia. I doubt you'll see him for a while".

Jack charge forward with a yell. Pitch vanished in a wave of darkness and Jack stumbled forwards. He turned but was met by a solid wall. "Happy Easter Jack", pitch whispered. Jack turned and noticed grass under his feet. He was in Bunny's tunnels.

"Oh no". The grass was littered with broken eggs. The once beautiful designs smudged and ruined. Dia was supposed to be guarding the tunnels. What had happened?

"Dia?!" Jack called. "Dia!"

No reply.

Unedited