Pitch and I took the opportunity to ride Onyx to the hole in the forest that led to his lair. Onyx seemed calmer than usual, her generally harsh whinnies toning down as I stroked the sand along her neck. This was something that generally didn't happen before, and I curiously looked over my shoulder at Pitch. He looked down at me and shrugged. "Perhaps she senses the power within you now..." He murmured, readjusting his grip on the reins. The ride felt shorter than usual, and soon we found ourselves in Pitch's lair, dismounting and striding through the caverns together, on our way to the ballroom.

When we entered the gleaming hall, my boyfriend turned to look at me directly, his arms wrapping around my waist tightly. "Now, we already know you can craft smoke symbols. Have you discovered any other powers you may have? Knowing Manny, he probably did not tell you what they are..." The Nightmare King murmured. I shook my head at him, "No, I have no idea yet. He didn't say anything about them really." I answered. Pitch narrowed his eyes and looked me over, "Well, some Guardians can manipulate their surroundings and summon energy, others have powers connected to physical motion. For example, Sandy, Jack Frost, and myself summon energy and or nature when we use our powers. Meanwhile, North, the Rabbit, and the Fairy are able to use their physical abilities to do things. North can create with his hands, the Rabbit can burrow and use nature to his benefit, and Toothania has the energy and speed of a hummingbird." My boyfriend explained to me. I nodded, understanding what he was saying.

Pitch leaned down, pressing his forehead to mine gently. "So...what would you like to try first?" He asked, voice low and as soft as velvet. I shivered, seeing his eyes flash deviously at me. I stood on my toes, my mouth near his ear. "That depends, which end of the love spectrum shall we analyze first? The pure or the dark? Because personally, I feel the darkness calling me at the moment..." I whispered, my breath ghosting over the shell of his ear. Less than pure thoughts about the Nightmare King filled my mind. Pitch's fingers tightened on my skin, and he stepped back to meet my gaze. "You of all people know I favor the wicked and the dark...I think we should examine those..." His pupils had dilated, and the emotion in his gaze was one I had not seen often on his face.

There was desire there, not a simple shadow as I had noticed before during our heated kissing sessions. No, this was different. Raw, untamed, powerful. It both enticed and startled me. Pitch suddenly pounced, his lips pressing against mine roughly. I let out a muffled squeak, but kissed him back with just as much passion. I wound my arms around his neck and scraped my nails over his shoulders, pulling him closer to me. The Boogeyman growled in his throat, one of his arms moving to sweep under my legs and lift me up. I could feel that we were in motion, but it wasn't until I felt Pitch sit down that I realized where we had ended up. The Nightmare King had taken his place upon his gleaming throne, while I was sitting across his lap, with one of his arms around my back and my legs dangling over the armrest opposite me. We were still connected by our lips, our tongues battling for dominance. He trailed his fingers up and down my side, before traveling behind my head and fisting them in my long locks. I grasped his face in both my hands, gently nipping at his bottom lip. The tense yearning in the room was palpable, thickening the longer we remained in our embrace.

After a few moments, I had to break for air, and Pitch jolted backward as if he had been shocked. He shook his head, seemingly trying to clear it, before he started gazing at me with a look that conveyed both confusion and interest, and perhaps a little bit of guilt. "A-anara, I didn't mean to be so..." He trailed off, looking for the right word. "Intense?" I finished for him with a small giggle, poking his chest playfully. He nodded slowly, as if he were in a haze. "Not that I minded, because I certainly didn't...but where did that sudden outburst come from?" I inquired. Pitch shook his head, his expression contemplative. "I do not really know. It is as if there was something within me, a thirst almost, that needed to be sated. I was only teasing you at first, but when you whispered in my ear, I felt an inexplicable need to kiss you and touch your skin." He explained, absentmindedly stroking the side of one of my legs. My cheeks flushed a tad bit as I made eye contact with him. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I had the same thoughts about you when I whispered in your ear." I admitted.

A moment of silence passed, then my boyfriend and I glanced at each other knowingly, apparently having the same thought. "Do you think that could be one of my new powers?" I prodded him. Pitch cleared his throat and nodded an affirmative. "That would make sense. You yourself said love is multi-faceted. Perhaps you have the power to influence passion and desire, based on your thoughts and intentions." He answered and I nodded in agreement.

We stayed there for a little while, enjoying the comfortable quiet of the ballroom as we continued to hold each other close. Sighing, I finally shifted so that I could stand up, stretching my back and looking around. Pitch got to his feet as well, cracking his neck and knuckles. "We should go out and see who we can find to test your powers on. Preferably children, since you are the Guardian of Love." He pointed out. I beamed at him, realizing he was right. "Good idea! Should we ride Onyx?" I asked. The Nightmare King stepped closer to me, resting his hands on my shoulders. "Actually that reminds me, every Guardian has the ability to summon or harness their own specific mode of transportation. You can still ride Onyx if you would like, but you are welcome to try summoning your own as well," Pitch offered.

I tapped my chin, asking, "How do I do that?" My boyfriend rubbed my arms in a comforting gesture. "Well, you first must think of something that would represent you yet fit your needs best. North uses a sleigh, Frost rides the wind on his staff, Rabbit uses tunnels, Tooth flies with her wings, Sandy has his cloud, and I have my Nightmares," He explained. "Then, once you decide, focus on creating whatever you have chosen. Picture it in your mind, then call out to it. It will appear before us." He told me.

Breathing deeply, I allowed my mind to wander. What animal was I like? Or better yet, what animal represents who I am? Briefly, I thought an ordinary cat or dog might do, but that didn't feel quite right. Dragons were amazing creatures as well. But so were wolves... My mind seemingly did not want to settle on any one creature. And then, I thought about one of my favorite childhood movies, and the answer came to me. In my head, I envisioned a pair of large powerful felines, with long fangs and paws bigger than baseball mitts. Their shapes were blurry, but slowly came into focus. The massive cats were a lion and lioness, both with silky crimson fur that sparkled with flecks of glitter, magenta eyes, and gleaming golden claws. Purrfect. I made myself laugh with my little pun as I opened my eyes, my gaze immediately drawn to a ruby glow across the room where little gold and pink sparks were brightening and fading like multi-colored fireflies.

Materializing within the glowing light, two lithe shapes appeared on the ballroom floor in front of Pitch and I. The same ones I had seen in my mind only a moment prior. Both felines purred in greeting, approaching me slowly. Their claws tapped against the marble floor and their tails swished gently from side to side. "Excellent choice, my love. But, if I may...why are there two?" Pitch inquired curiously. "A king for you and a queen for me." I responded. Pitch grinned as he realized the significance of what creatures I had chosen for my mounts and companions. Their ruby pelts shimmered in the light of the torches as they padded around Pitch and I, whiskers twitching as they sniffed our clothes and hands. I knelt down and reached out to stroke the lioness' head. She rubbed her cheek along mine, her weight nearly toppling me over from the force of her affectionate gesture. The lion jumped up on his hind legs, his paws resting on Pitch's shoulders as he licked my boyfriend's face. Pitch grunted, carefully extracting himself out of the creature's grip. "What are you going to name them?" The Nightmare King inquired.

I grasped the lioness' large head in my hands, stroking her chin as she let out a low rumble deep in her throat. Her dark pink eyes twinkled with adoration as she stared back at me. "I think I will call her Bastet, after the Egyptian goddess of fertility, protection, and music," I murmured thoughtfully. Pitch nodded, stroking the long mane that flowed down the male feline's neck and spine. "And him?" The Boogeyman queried. "How about...Nuka? He is yours now, so you have the last word on what his name will be, but I think it would be fitting." I suggested. "What does Nuka mean? I don't believe I have heard that name before," Pitch gazed at me inquisitively. "It means 'twilight' in Swahili. Twilight has elements of the dark and the light, just like these creatures and you and I." I offered him a brief explanation. My response seemingly satisfied him, as he nodded in agreement and understanding, while the lion gave a grunt of happiness.

After about fifteen minutes, I stood up straight and began to walk around Bastet, running my hands along the fur of her shoulders, I made my way to the place right behind her shoulders, preparing to pull myself up onto her back. Instead the lioness lowered herself to the ground, letting out a bored yawn as if to tell me that she was waiting for me. I glanced at Pitch, finding my surprise and amusement reflected in his own expression. Nuka copied Bastet and laid down on the marble, staring up at my boyfriend expectantly. Shrugging in unison, the Boogeyman and I moved to sit down on our respective mounts, sitting right behind the felines' shoulders as we would on Onyx. I gripped the loose fur at the scruff of Bastet's neck and I watched Pitch's fingers wrap themselves in Nuka's flowing mane.

Each of the lions got to their paws once Pitch and I were situated upon their backs. "Alright, I guess it's time to go back to town. Let's go Bastet." I told my lioness. She snorted in response and immediately began to move, hardly giving me a moment to adjust as she bounded toward the door on the opposite side of the room. "Woah girl!" I raised my voice, realizing she was not going to stop for the sake of the door. Then I remembered that I was a Guardian and so was Pitch, and my mount was magic, so I tried to calm my panic.

Just when it appeared that we were going to crash right into the black chamber doors, a burst of ruby and pink glitter appeared before us and Bastet leaped right into it, her massive paws stretching out far in front of her. I glanced over my shoulder, watching Nuka following right on Bastet's tail, Pitch holding onto the lion for dear life. His surprise was understandable, as these lions moved a tad differently than Onyx did. Though Onyx was bigger, her size allowed her to gallop gracefully through the sky or over the ground, her hips almost always in line with her shoulders, helping her rider to maintain balance much easier.

On the other hand, when the lions sprinted over the ground their shoulders would often drop while their hindlegs were in the air, and when their back paws hit the ground their shoulders would lift as they launched themselves forward. I giggled and turned back around, watching as the glitter faded around us to reveal the surrounding area to us. We were standing in the middle of town, right outside the mall doors. I petted Bastet's head, flitting my gaze from one side of the building to the other. Nuka padded up to stand beside his mate, nudging my lioness' cheek with his own. Pitch leaned over Nuka's back, appearing slightly ill. "Riding lions is much different than Nightmares...it will take some time to get used to..." I leaned over and rubbed Pitch's back gently. "I'm sorry love. I have to admit, Bastet took me by surprise as well." I smiled in understanding, watching as he took another deep breath and sat up straight once more.

Once I knew the Nightmare King was settled, I relaxed and returned my attention to the mall. I was hoping to see someone that I might be able to help, though I wasn't sure yet how I could do that. A soft humming sound caught my interest, growing louder as I faced the parking lot. I tilted my head, my gaze landing on a pair of people standing near to a small green sports car. A young petite woman with striking emerald eyes and ginger hair was loading shopping bags into her trunk, apparently unaware that she had dropped one of her bags on the ground near her rear tire. A younger man seemed to notice this as well, his hand running nervously through his shoulder length blonde hair as he moved to grasp the bag and return it to the woman. Neither one of the people before me were much older than I was, yet I could see that as the boy greeted the girl, their cheeks simultaneously tinged with pink. Something stirred inside me, and though I had no explanation as to why, I knew that this couple were meant to be together. I could sense their mutual attraction and adoration, though neither seemed sure about the other's feelings.

Instinctively, I lifted one of my palms as I felt my powers pulsing through me. A swirl of pink smoke formed two hearts above my hand, much like the first time I showed the Guardians that Manny had transformed me as well. I raised my outstretched hand to my lips and blew the hearts in the direction of the young pair. The smoke shapes separated and fluttered on the breeze until they dissipated as they made contact with the skin of the young man and woman. Within seconds, the boy seemed to have a rush of courage, reaching forward to grasp the girl's hand. She smiled back at him and laughed lightly, tossing her hair over her shoulder. I couldn't help my grin, realizing that I just gave the pair the extra push they needed to make their feelings known. "Well, that looks like a match made on the Moon..." Pitch smirked in amusement. "Thanks! I don't know what happened. I just know they are meant for each other, and it seemed like the right action to take..." I responded to my lover. Pitch nodded in understanding as he replied, "Welcome to being a Guardian. Most of the time your powers will require you to focus on using your intuition rather than using your brain. It will become easier the more you practice." He assured me.

I blinked gratefully at him, grasping the fur at Bastet's neck and nudging her with my heels to encourage her to walk. The lioness padded down the street at a moderate gait, and Nuka kept beside her, matching her pace step for step. We strode a little way down the side of the building, Pitch and I both keeping an eye out to see if there were any children I could help or situations I could influence. Luckily, we did not have to search long before the sounds of high pitched shouting rang out over the usual bustling of people walking in and out of the mall. As I rounded the corner of the building, the yelling steadily grew in volume. The sight that greeted my boyfriend and I took us both off guard.

Two middle school aged boys were tusseling on the asphalt behind the back door of one of the video game shops in the mall. Both boys were eagerly trying to pummel one another, rolling over the ground and revealing to me their identical faces. A set of twins, ones I had recognized as friends of Jamie Bennett's. Clearly something had angered them, but it was apparent that they both knew whatever had happened was not worth entirely maiming themselves over, given the fact that their blows were nowhere near as hard as they could've been. "Ah, to be a hormonal young lad again...what times I had back then. What do you suppose these two are scuffling over?" Pitch asked with an amused tone in his voice, though his words were slightly drowned out by the grunts and groans coming from the pre-teen boys before us.

My gaze shifted from side to side, finding the potential source of our problem lying in a crunched bag on the pavement. "My Guardian intuition tells me that the culprit is a limited edition video game." I replied, moving to slide off of Bastet's back. "Come again?" Pitch furrowed his eyebrows. "I'll show you...come on," I gestured for him to follow me, watching him also move to slip out from behind Nuka's shoulders and land gracefully on the ground. I walked forward, knowing that now that I was off of my mount, the boys would be able to see me in all my Guardian glory.

Stepping forward, I moved first to pick up the game case that had fallen a few feet away. A shake of the case told me that the disc was still intact. Then I strode over to grab the boy hovering over his brother, hearing Pitch hiss my name. I paused and looked over my shoulder at him, "Anara! Are you insane, my love? You can't just intervene in their fight. You may get hurt." His eyes reflected worry for my safety. "I'll be fine, Pitch. This is my job now, remember?" I gave him a reassuring smile and then continued forward. I heard him mumbling about me being crazy under his breath and I had to suppress a giggle. "That's one of the reasons why you love me!" I called back, wrapping the fingers of my left hand around the right arm of one of the boys, hauling him off his sibling.

Neither of the twins appeared to be injured, other than a bruise here and there. "Hey! Boys! What's going on here?" I questioned them, watching their eyes widen in amazement as they took in my colorful appearance. The boy on the ground stood up, while his brother brushed him off gently. "W-what are you?" Asked the boy who I had pulled away from the fight. "I'll answer that question when you answer mine. Why are you two acting like heathens?" I reworded my previous inquiry. Both young men hesitated to answer me, so I presented them with the video game I had been holding in my right hand. "Is this the reason you were wrestling each other?" I pressed. The boys nodded shyly, looking at their feet in embarrassment. "Why?" I prodded.