Love Note?

As they arrived at the cave Daydream turned to Tragedy, "Something I don't understand is how there was a radio out on the side of a waterfall?"

"Oh, this girl who wanted to kill herself left it there for me after I talked her out of it. That spot is actually pretty popular with suicides," Tragedy wiped her forehead with her hand. "There has never been a suicide there in the time I have had the job because I go a good amount and usually someone is about to jump."

"That is a little depressing," Daydream frowned.

"That is my life, my job, and my all. Death," Tragedy smiled a little to herself. "I actually need to go out for a minute, do you mind going back alone?"

"No, not at all," Daydream sighed walking into the cave overhearing Bad Dream talking to a Nightmare.

He actually understood the horses. "So, this Pitch Black fellow created you all from a single nightmare?" The horses must have responded because he paused. "Jeannie's nightmare? The one where she watched her brother die?" another pause, "That is cool!" The horses made a ruckus, "Kōri? That is an interesting name. She was the most powerful Nightmare?" More noise, "She died in a battle between the Guardians and Pitch? Wow, that must have been hard on you," silence answered him this time. "Daydream? You don't have to listen in like that, come over here."

Daydream hung her head in shame, she was caught eavesdropping "I am sorry, I just got back and didn't want to interrupt."

"It is fine, the Nightmares were telling me how they came to be. Apparently Tragedy is the reason for their existence. She had such a powerful trauma that Pitch was able to grow it into a small army of Nightmares. From what they have told me, when she was a little girl Pitch made a deal with her that she would see her brother again if she worked for him. So, she did and he used her trauma by making her relive it every night until she turned eighteen in which he had her die in another traumatic way then for two hundred years he made her relive the two traumas every time she returned home until he could make the first Nightmare, Kōri. Once Kōri was made he proceeded to make more and more until he had a small army. Then, a few weeks ago he started making more Nightmares from the children of the world," Bad Dream hung his head and patted the nearest Nightmare.

"You said Kōri died? Did she die in the same battle that took Pitch?" Daydream asked slightly wondering how long Tragedy would be.

Bad Dream looked to the horses, "Tragedy was given Kōri a few days ago. Pitch took her back out of jealousy and rode her in every battle after that. North killed her in the final battle, right in front of Tragedy. Pitch was taken by the other Nightmares down to the darkest reaches of the earth and…" Bad Dream paused, "They actually haven't told me that yet." The horses started to talk all at once and Bad Dream held up his hand, "After the battle Pitch wished to use the Nightmares even more and they were sick of being used for his games so they dragged him down and…." Bad Dream gulped, "they ate him." The Nightmares closest to him started to move in and nibble on his shirt, "They are not going to hurt us. They only want Tragedy happy. If they feel we will hurt her they will kill us."

Daydream shivered, "Wasn't Pitch their creator? Why would they kill him to save Tragedy's feelings?"

Tragedy walked out of the shadows and smiled, "Because it is my fear that feeds them and my love that keeps them alive, when I am hurt by an outside force they fear I will leave them. I am always afraid but never afraid. That is why they would do anything for me. Kōri included. That is why I picked you Bad Dream, you have the same fear I do. They like you but they will kill you if you try to hurt me because they are part of me. Nearly three hundred years of torture to create them," She head-butted the closest one to her, "This one has my brother falling through the ice," she went to another, "He has my death," another, "She has my mother's death," another, "This one is a child's fear of spiders," she looked at Daydream and Bad Dream with a weak smile. "I guess it is confirmed that Pitch is dead. I knew it but I didn't want to accept it."

Daydream wrapped her arms around Tragedy and spoke softly, "Don't blame the Nightmares, they only did what they thought was best for you."

"I know. Pitch was just using me, to this day I don't even know what I was to him," Tragedy sighed and gently pushed Daydream away. She walked up to the globe in the middle of the room; she hadn't gone near it since Pitch died because she feared remembering. Now, she wanted to remember. A note written in black sand on a soft white page sat on the globe over her old home. She opened it up and read the words to herself.

Jeannie,

I know I have not been the best thing for you. I wanted so bad to be back on top, like in the dark ages. I admit I used you to make my Nightmares come true but slowly and I do mean slowly I fell in love with you. How do I explain how a man can raise a little girl into a grown woman and fall so madly in love with her? You were such a fearful child but so brave to face it all. I guess in a way I couldn't help but fall in love with you. I was not that much older than you when I died but I guess that still doesn't forgive my love. I am night, I am darkness, I am fear and you are pain, blood, and tragedy. You could have been so much better had I let you live the life Moon wanted for you. Please forgive me. I was selfish, I guess I still am because instead of waiting for you to return home to me and tell you this to your face I write it all down and run into battle with the Guardians on the backs of the Nightmares I forged from your pain and fear. I will do my best not to harm Jack, I still hold the hope he will join us but I may be overly passionate since I don't know if I will return to you. If I don't, just know I am sorry and I love you. I really love you. If I do return please consider becoming my bride, I don't know how to make it official in the afterlife but I will do whatever I need to be with you for eternity.

Forever yours,

Pitch Black

Jeannie dropped the note and fell to her knees, "What?" she cried out. Bad Dream and Daydream who had stayed behind ran to her. She looked up at them, "Pitch was in love with me! How do you tell someone that you love them in a note? He apologized for it all but also confessed his love for me." Her body shook as she curled up on the floor and cried. Years of pain and torture. Of him manipulating her and everything she did, how can he claim to love her.

Daydream grabbed Bad Dream's arm and dragged him away from Tragedy, "My work is never finished so I am going to go do my thing but you need to find somewhere else to be. Tragedy needs some alone time."

"I haven't finished rounding up the Nightmares so I am going to do that. Bye Daydream," Bad Dream spoke softly then jumped on the back of a Nightmare and rode out of the tunnels.

Daydream walked through the mist and found some unsuspecting soul to inspire and Tragedy stayed curled up crying over her life slowly falling apart all over again.