North watched the wide-eyed matryoshka doll fall from Jack's hand. It hit the ground with a soft thud, its back to Jack as he flew off.

He flew, and he never looked back.

How could he do this? Teaming up with Pitch, gaining his precious memories at the cost of the only mini tooth fairy they had managed to save. The memory box in his hand was a dead giveaway to what he had done. But what was even more unforgivable was the fact that he left them weak, vulnerable and on their own to battle the fearlings when he made a vow to come back. Yes, he came in the end, but he didn't come back as soon as he promised .

North cringed as the flashback started. It had been so peaceful as they watched the radiantly colored eggs trotting through the tunnels on their funny-looking feet. Everything had been perfect. They were certain that Easter would turn things around. The children would be protected from fear, and more importantly, from Pitch.

It was then when they heard the unmistakable neigh that filled them with immediate dread.

They just barged in, those merciless fearlings, leaving crushed eggs and baskets in their wake. There were hundreds of them flying and galloping around the Warren like bees in a beehive. North and Tooth had managed to recover quickly from their shock and spring into action, slaying the horses in a blur of swords and wings.

After a while, North realized that their furry yet trusty partner was not fighting alongside them. He turned — slicing another nightmare in the process — and what he saw next broke his heart.

Bunny looked completely wrecked. His jaw was open, and he took deep, shuddering breaths. His normally erect ears flopped onto his face, nearly but not quite covering his wide, crestfallen eyes. Those eyes tuned out the rest of the world, focusing only on the brightly colored remains of the eggs. Those eggs he painstakingly painted for a year, all for the children of the world he loved bringing hope to. It was obvious that the crushed Easter eggs had crushed the Guardian of Hope as well.

North rushed over to Bunny, partly because he wanted to comfort his old friend, but mostly because there was a fearling galloping straight towards him. North yelled out his name, but even that didn't seem to snap him out of his trance.

North stepped on a flat rock and leapt over Bunny, his arms raised over his head, the sword glinting in the blazing sunlight. He brought it down on the nightmare with a sharp "Hah!" ,the blade penetrating the black sand monster in one swift motion. Bunny hadn't even blinked when the horse disintegrated before his eyes.

North grabbed Bunny by his shoulder and ran behind Tooth, heading for the exit tunnel.

-X-

Bunny came to his senses just in time when he caught sight of a lone Easter basket near the tunnel furthest away from him. Without thinking, he made a run for it, despite the protests of "Bunny! Come back!"

He dove to the ground and scooped up the basket, relief filling his system. That relief was short-lived when he looked up and found a fearling right in front of him, with a piercing amber glare that bore through his very soul.

It tried to snatch the basket with its teeth, and that's when Bunny lost it.

"Get your freaking chompers—off—my—basket!"

He snagged a couple of explosive eggs from his leather holster and flung them at the nightmarish creature, then pulled out both his boomerangs and sliced it blindly. His vision blurred with rage, and he shut his eyes tight and attacked some more, now regardless of whether he killed the fearling or not.

By the time he opened his eyes again, he found tons of black sand scattered on the floor. Apparently, he had killed many more than one nightmare in his agitation. But there were still more rampaging around the disheveled oasis that was once his Warren. Only Jack could have defeated them all. Problem was, he wasn't there to.

Bunny pulled Tooth and North closer to him and opened up a tunnel, taking a deep breath before leaving the chaotic sounds of neighing and crunching behind.

-X-

Ruined.

All ruined.

The eggs.

Easter.

The children's belief in the Guardians.

The children's belief in him.

The normally calm and collected Pooka could only think: No Easter. No hope. Children, disappointed,

He was completely lost in a dark world, a black hole where he felt there was no promise in escaping.

Sure, he was furious at Pitch, but even more so at someone else. Someone he had just begun to respect and trust after nearly a century of extreme dislike toward him. Now, he felt betrayed. They should never have trusted that traitor.

Traitor. Jack, you traitor.

A/N:

So I'll just be honest to myself here, the ending is terrible. Well, it's still the best one I can come up with on a tiny phone keypad during a three-hour road trip. I'm pretty proud of myself for not getting carsick, actually.

So what do you guys think of this story? Please tell me in your reviews!