This plot bunny could not have picked a worse time to possess me: right at the end of summer, with school and sports about to start, and at the same time I'm writing another story. But it's just one of those that you just can't let go, you know? Not to mention I love all four of these movies to death. Be warned: because of these things, it may not be updated very quickly. I promise you though that I'm not one of those authors who just abandons everything for months without telling her readers why.

This is a ROTBTD fic, so it will have crossover from these four movies: Rise of the Guardians, Brave, Tangled, and How To Train Your Dragon. And there's a possibility characters from other Disney and Dreamworks movies might make appearances. If they do, however, you can rest assured they won't be major characters.

Also, the title might change. It was just the best thing I could think of at the moment. Pairings (if any) are undecided, but there will be no slash.

I'm actually pretty excited for this, to be honest, and I hope you are too!

Prologue: Darkness Rising

"Demons are like obedient dogs; they come when they are called."
― Remy de Gourmot

The room was dark. That was the only sure thing that could be said about it. The wall, the floor, and the ceiling were constantly changing; sometimes it was a rocky cave, sometimes a crumbling castle, sometimes a dense night forest, sometimes a cloud of smoke. For this place existed between dimensions, and where dimensions meet nothing can be certain.

Suddenly, the darkness was disturbed by a soft blue light. The source of the light was a little wispy creature of smoke that lit up with blue fire deep within. The creature began to change, growing and morphing into the shape of a tall, muscled man dressed in clothes of fur that displayed his bare tattooed chest. His long brown hair framed his cruel, regal face. Twin axes were slung across his back. He stood perfectly still, as if he was waiting for something.

Or rather, someone.

A new figure emerged from the shadows. They wore a cloak with a hood covering their face, but when the hood was pulled back it revealed a woman with long curly black hair streaked with gray and clever gray eyes. The woman wore a long, wine-colored dress with a gold belt, and a sheathed dagger hung from her waist. When she spoke her voice was warm, though her smile was razor sharp.

"Mor'du! What a pleasure to see you again! And looking so young and human, too!"

Mor'du nodded in greeting. "I could say the same for you, Gothel," he said in a deep voice. "Last I heard you were a pile of dust. How did you manage to survive without your precious flower?"

Gothel waved a slender hand dismissively. "Oh, surely you didn't believe that I had died. I'm much harder to kill than that. And there are other ways of being immortal." She sighed and flicked a strand of her gray locks. "It's not as good as Rapunzel was, but it's something."

Another gruff voice pierced the darkness. "Stressing about your hair again, Gothel?"

Mor'du and Gothel turned to the newcomer. He was nearly as large as Mor'du, with a wild beard and mane underneath his horned helmet. His clothes looked like they were made from some scaly material, and giant spiked plates protected his shoulders. He, like Mor'du, carried an ax.

"Alvin the Treacherous," Mor'du said, sounding mildly surprised. "I didn't know you were involved in these sorts of things."

"If by 'these sorts of things' you mean magic, then you're wrong," Alvin answered. "It's true I used to rely on brute force, but I've recently been much more open-minded about my methods."

Gothel laughed scornfully. "Darling, why don't you stick to your axes. You're in over your head here."

Alvin raised an eyebrow. "Am I?"

Suddenly, the room was filled with distant whispers. Before anyone could figure out where the noise was coming from, the ground at Alvin's feet erupted, and a huge winged creature with milky white eyes and thousands of sharp rotating teeth in its enormous mouth flew into the air besides Alvin with an ear-splitting roar. However, when Alvin put a hand on its head it instantly calmed.

"Now, now, Deathblow," he said, sounding amused. "Let's not devour our comrades."

"Well, well, it looks as if I am late to the party."

The fourth voice was smooth and sophisticated, a stark contrast to Alvin's rough tone. It seemed to come from everywhere at once, and as the trio looked around for the speaker they saw nothing but the shifting shadows. But then a man seemed to melt out of the darkness; he was tall and lithe and wore only a simple robe as black as night. His skin was gray and his hair was ebony and his eyes were like amber solar eclipses. He didn't carry a weapon, but something about him suggested that he did not need one.

"I do hope nothing too exciting has happened without me," he continued.

Gothel smiled. "Not at all, Pitch. You are the one who invited us here, after all."

"Yes," said Mor'du. "Why is that?"

"I have a proposition for you all," he answered.

"What sort of proposition?" Mor'du asked.

"I want you to join forces with me in the coming war."

"Interesting," Alvin said, stroking his dragon. "What's in it for us?"

Pitch shrugged. "Not much. Multi-dimensional domination. Revenge against your enemies. Power beyond your imagination."

"Is that so?" Gothel said.

"Yes," he continued. "Why, Gothel, you could win faultless immortality, get rid of that wispy airhead of a girl Rapunzel, and become Queen of Corona if you wished! Alvin, you could extend your influence far beyond that tiny island of Berk, become learned in the ways of dark magic, and finally have complete control over that Hiccup boy and his dragon. And as for you, Mor'du, you could permanently return to your human form instead of that little wisp, regain control of your kingdom and beyond, and eliminate that Merida girl once and for all."

"You are very persuasive," Mor'du admitted grudgingly.

Pitch smiled slightly. "I pride myself on it."

"What about you, Pitch?" Alvin asked. "Surely you must have something to gain."

"Of course. I can spread my darkness to every corner of every dimension, finally eradicate those pesky Guardians, and personally destroy the one who stole my victory the last time."

"Oh yes, I heard about that," Gothel said, a smile playing across her lips. "Pitch Black, the great King of Nightmares, defeated by a child."

Pitch scowled. "Jack Frost is hardly a child," he snapped. "He is over 300 years old."

Gothel laughed. "Oh, I seem to have struck a nerve there."

"Don't forget, all of you were defeated by children as well," Pitch reminded her sharply.

"But we are not immortal beings of fear with legions of nightmares at our command," Mor'du pointed out.

"You could be," said Pitch. "If you join me."

"Very tempting," Alvin said.

"What have you got to lose?" Pitch asked, looking around at them all. "You're already at the bottom."

There was a hesitant silence, and then Gothel spoke up. "Oh, why not. I haven't had any fun in a while."

Alvin looked at his dragon, which roared in approval. He grinned. "Deathblow and I are in."

Mor'du reached back and hefted one of his axes in his grasp. "I will join you as well."

Pitch smiled, a dangerous smile that hinted of terrible things to come. "Excellent." Then his voice rose, reverberating about the room. "Then let the Second Dark Age begin!"

Right, a little extra note here. I'm going to do the quote thing before every chapter, and they will be somewhat relevant to the story (at least in my mind). And remember, reviews are love! :)