"There aren't any eggs, there's nothing here." A child said disappointedly. Children were leaving the part, all feeling disappointed at the failed egg hunt.
"I give up, he didn't come."
They were losing hope
"Come on."
Their childlike magical view of the world
"I don't understand."
Neither did the guardians
Bunny looked in fear as the park was emptying fast. Children of all ages were left disappointed and hopeless. It hurt to see them like that, pain racing through his center like a fire in the summer bush. He saw 2 children at a table, still the slightest shred of hope left. He had to act fast, make them believe he was real.
Against all instincts, honed in the past few centuries, Bunny jumped out into the open and hopped to the children. "Kids! Oi!" If they saw him, for sure they would convince the others he was real.
Right?
The young girl was sitting on top of a table, solemnly watching her friend still search. "Maybe he just hid them really well this year?" She questioned, though she sounded more like she was trying to convince herself. Her friend stopped looking in the bushes, giving up on his halfhearted search. "There's nothing here, I looked everywhere." He said and walked to her friend.
Bunny got to the children and tried to hand them some of the slightly damaged eggs they managed to save. "Yes there is! There is! I mean these aren't my best lookin' googies, but they'll do in a pinch!"
"I can't believe it." The girl jumped off of the bench. Bunny felt a rush of hope go through him, smiling at the young child in front of him. "Ay I know. He chuckled a little nervously, holding up his egg. He looked between it and the girl but something felt off and he knew it too. He raised a quizzing brow as the girl didn't look happy at all, eyes pointed at the grass below her feet.
"There's no such thing as the Easter Bunny."
Bunny looked shocked. How could they say such a thing? He was right there! Right in front of them! They can't not have seen him!
"Easter is over. Forget this." The boy said to his friend as they to started to leave the park.
Bunny really started to panic. His center was screaming, this was wrong! All of it! It wasn't supposed to be like this! He was created to protect children, protect hope, but they were all giving up.
"What? No!" He yelled trying in vain to get the last children's attention.
"There's no such thing."
"I know. Now come on."
"Easter Bunny where are you?"
"Let's get out of here"
Bunny desperately tried to make the children see him. He jumped in front of a boy, hoping to block his way.
"Why didn't he come? This is the worst Easter ever." Bunny was breathing heavily after the child walked through him. He looked on shocked as all of the children had left.
"They...They don't see me." He choked out in disbelief and fear. His center felt cold. All over the world children were losing hope. The burning passion that fueled his magic was burning out as nobody believed in the Easter Bunny anymore. In him. In hope. The spark of childhood has already been extinguished in all of them.
"They don't see me." He breathed before crouching down. He caressed the last remaining eggs he had and cried quietly. Sadness and loneliness washed over him as he felt the lights go out in each child. Tooth flew over to bunny to comfort him. She had never seen Bunny this upset and she didn't know how to soothe the pain he was feeling.
Jack had seen it all. He couldn't believe what he saw with his own disbelieving eyes. Easter was ruined and he could almost see the magical vibrant colors of spring leaving the plants. He really wanted to go to Bunny, make sure he was okay. If anybody could help it would be him. He had known the feeling of being walked through for the passed 300 years. Right as he was making a step to the Kangaroo, North called out.
"Jack! Where were you?" The Corsac rasped, still trying to catch his breath. He couldn't look Jack in the eye as he relayed what happened as if it was all a horrible joke. "The Nightmares attacked the tunnels. They smashed every egg, crushed every basket. Nothing made it to the surface." He gestured with his swords, swinging at an invisible enemy.
Jack couldn't believe what happened. Pitch had been focused on him, how did he also control the Nightmares and cause such chaos?
"Jack!" Tooth called out before he could find words to say. She flew over from Bunny to flutter next to North, losing a few feathers on the way as she too was affected by the loss of belief. As she looked Jack over for injuries she gasped at what he held in his hand.
"Where did you get that?"
Jack raised his tooth container, knowing he shouldn't have it. "I was...it's..um..." He couldn't find the words. He knew it was all his fault. He did this to them.
"Where is Baby Tooth?" She called worriedly. She knew her little fairy liked to hang out with the winter spirit, but she would always stay in sight of Tooth.
Jack really didn't know what to say. How could he possibly tell them he got tricked by some voice and then Pitch? Would they even believe him? Why would they?
"Oh Jack." Tooth's disappointed tone was all the proof he needed that they wouldn't believe him no matter what. "What have you done?"
North felt anger bubbling up as he connected the dots. "That's where you were?" He almost demanded, stepping forward. "You were with Pitch?!" He yelled at the young spirit. He felt betrayed. Betrayed by the boy he had put his hopes in. Hope that was crushed, just like the eggs.
Jack frantically tried to defend himself. Make them understand. They had to! He didn't mean for this to happen! They had to know he wouldn't do this on purpose! "No, listen, listen" he started, trying to find the words, any words that would come out "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."
Before he could explain further, Bunny walked up to the group. He couldn't listen to any more of this. "He has to go." He breathed heavily as Jack turned to face him. All his fear, loneliness, sadness, it all turned to anger. Anger towards the young boy he had started to see as a friend. "We should NEVER have trusted you." He yelled in the boy's face. He was ready to punch him, fist in the air and hoping closer. But he couldn't. No matter how badly he wanted to take out his anger and frustration on the younger, he was a child. Immortal, but a child. Bunny couldn't hurt a child.
Jack jumped back in fear, tears were brimming in his eyes as he saw his once friend almost hurt him. He had all the right though, Jack thought, as he had hurt the elder guardian just as much. Bunny's anger calmed down a bit at the fear in Jack's eyes. His angered tone shifting to a disappointed one as Tooth's had. "Easter is new beginnings. New life. Easter's about hope. And now it's gone." He slowly turned from the group and walked away. His fighting spirit had given up.
Jack turned to the other guardians, hoping for any kind of support, any say that Bunny was wrong to blame him. Fear was running through his veins, slightly hyperventilating. Oh how he hoped they would lie and say everything would be okay. That it wasn't his fault. But they didn't. North and Tooth did nothing but turn away with hurt showing clear on their face. Jack took out the little wooden baby North had given him at the pole. The guardians, his friends, had all but told him to leave. What was the point of looking for his center as there was no way he would become a guardian anymore. If children didn't believe in the Big 4, why would they believe in him?
He dropped the figure on the ground as he silently asked the wind to take him away before something else would happen.
Wind was leading him somewhere, away from everyone who he had disappointed. Sadly, wind couldn't take him away from himself. He hated himself for getting tricked like that, for falling into the trap, breaking his promise. He should have been there, should have been fighting on the front lines. No. All he did was get Baby Tooth captured and ruin Easter by letting Pitch win. Now they hated him and they would never believe him. Nobody would.
No, there might be one person left. He might not even be here but there is one person who would understand how he feels, how it isn't his fault.
One friend who he was almost certain would never turn his back on him. But where would he find the man? It's been ages since he last saw his partner in crime. Somewhere around 68' he believes. It was a few months before Easter of that year. Jack had been upset when he had to leave again, leaving the winter child alone yet again. He had gotten so upset with only one friend who couldn't stay for long that he accidentally caused the blizzard that Bunny still hates him more. Probably even more now.
Jack really wasn't paying any attention to where he was going, so it was wind's job to keep him from flying into anything. Which is why Jack was suddenly shot higher into the sky to avoid the tree he was headed to. The sudden jolt made the young immortal break away from his thoughts and focus more on the flying. He still didn't care for direction, as long as it wasn't hot. But not crashing into things was something he did care for.
Jack thought of his trickster friend. He did like going a bit overboard but that is what Jack was for. Prevent anything that wouldn't make it fun anymore. But he didn't mind. Their mischief isn't all where they were similar in. They both has a good resistance to the cold and his friend even showed his ice magic. Not too often as he didn't like using it, but sometimes when they went to really cold places or for a playful threat.
Jamie probably would have liked him. He really seems to have something for mythological creatures and legends. It hurt to think he believed those but not in him. Jamie would probably wish he didn't if he did, after today...
He just wanted to go to his lake and never leave it again. But he knew he couldn't. Somebody had to bring winter. At least he could keep an eye on the kid. Last he saw, Jamie was raving to his friends about some attack on New York a while back and how these human heroes stopped an alien attack of sorts.
Wait
That's it!
"Wind! Take me to New York!"
A/N: please leave a comment if you liked it. If you want sneak peaks to new chapters, follow me on ig at pikawingss