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Jack awoke with a start. His head pounded with a headache, his cheek bruised with an ugly purple stain, his nose dripping with dried blood. He looked to his right with tired eyes. Tooth, North and Sandy were unconscious, their bodies bind to large wooden poles. Jack’s eyes widened as he realized that he had been bind to a pole as well, his hands tied behind his back. He tried to free himself from the shackles, but they were strapped on tight. In the dead of night, an army of nightmare soldiers stood, lighting candles on the stone columns. They seemed to be preparing for some form of a celebration, as some laughed in the crowd while others blankety guarded the entrance. Jack whispered to Tooth who had begun to wake,
“Tooth. Are you okay?”
The fairy stirred for a bit, before her eyes fixed on Jack’s, “Jack? What happened? Where are we?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Pitch came back, Jack.” A deep Russian voice interrupted, “He attacked the Pole and most likely took us to his fortress.”
Jack nodded and looked around, his eyebrows pulling together as he counted the three beside him. He then realized that one was missing, “Where’s Bunny?”
Just as Tooth’s mouth moved to speak, she heard a loud laugh from above. Sandy looked around as he woke from his slumber. A large stream of black sand rushed through the air like a river. The sand clumped together to create a resurrected Pitch Black. His new form was almost like a demon with human characteristics. His slimy voice boomed through the abandoned courtyard.
“I do hope that you are comfortable. My nightmares try to be gentle.”
“Pitch! You snake! Let us go or-” North shouted in rage.
“Ohh!” He chuckled, “I would truly like to, but you can’t miss this. Your little companion has made a deal with me to keep you all safe.”
Jack then turned towards the Guardians, who held face of worrisome and unsettling feelings.
“Pitch, what did you do?” Jack then asked, his eyes infuriated.
“Nothing. I can assure you, you companion will not be in any harm. In fact, I hope you will enjoy this.” The Booeyman told them, before floating towards Jack, his claw reaching out towards the boy’s face. North grunted, the wooden post removing any chance of freedom. The large sand claw grabbed Jack’s chin and titled it up so his eyes could meet the amber pools of sand.
“This will teach you, young Frost. If you try to kill me, you will watch as I plunge my knife into your friends, you will watch their faces twist in agony, their guts pouring out of their bodies. You will see that you are no more than an arrogant, selfish little human who only wants what makes the world weak. You foolish-“
“Get. Out. Of. My. Face.” Jack warned, his teeth clutched tightly. The demon pulled away, frustrated. He then saw a flash from the corner of his eye. Jack turned his head as did North, Sandy and Tooth, who gasped quietly.
(Okay, this is when you should play the music)
A blue paw stepped out from the mist, as did the owner. Pitch smiled, backing towards the other side so the Guardians could see. The guards shrieked in delight, filling the night in unsettling joy. The prisoner walked up the stone steps of the courtyard, his long ears raised. His eyes held no emotion as the orange lights of the fires grazed past them. Jack’s face was covered in shock and anxiety. The face turned towards the team, dwelling in sadness. Blue eyes meet green, as Jack tried to speak to him through emotion. The green eyes only looked away as he kept walking.
Then, North shouted, “Bunny!”
Bunnymund turned around, the orange lights outlining the fur on edge of his body.
“Please don’t tell me you’ve gone with Pitch!”
Bunny sighed, his eyes shutting, “No, mate. I’m not going to join him. I’m saving you all.”
“?” Sandy conjured with a golden question mark. Tooth then asked,
“Saving us?”
“What do you mean?” Jack asked, his face twisted in the stare of worrisome.
Bunny walked towards Jack, placing a paw on the boy’s cheek, “Everything will be alright, Frostbite. I promise. Okay?”
“Okay..” Jack whispered, his eyes pooling with tears. Bunny smiled softly, before removing his paw from Jack’s cheek. He turned around and walked towards Pitch, who stood in front of his army.
“Are you ready?”
Bunny nodded, his ears dropping a bit. As he walked towards the crowd, the soldiers looked at him, laughing and smirking. The crowd created a pathway for the Easter spirit. Bunny looked up, a stone table stood in the distance, Pitch standing behind it while looking down at him. Just then, the crown surrounded him, holding their spikes and spears. One soldier hit the rabbit’s stomach with the butt of the spike, causing Bunny to collapse on his side, groaning and coughing as he curled up in pain. Tooth gasped, North grunted, Sandy was alarmed as Jack was shocked. The soldier smirked, his friends laughing beside him. As the soldier grabbed his knife, Pitch spoke again as if he was giving a speech,
“Shave him.”
“With pleasure..” The soldier’s greedy voice responded. Bunny’s eyes darted towards the sudden tug of his shoulder fur. The knife was scraped through the fur with a few slices, leaving a bald spot that looked out of place. The dirty hand held the blue fur up, creating a loud cheer from the rest of the men. Soon, the sounds of blades cutting was all the rabbit heard while laying on his side like a pig. As soon as a process was done, Bunny looked thin, his once great mane now replaced with thin hair strands and some bleeding cuts from the knives growing too close to his skin. He was then dragged by his arms up the steps towards the table. Pitch looked at him with delight as the two men pulled Bunny onto his back on the stone table. His arms dropped, one one the edge and the other one his side. Pitch then ordered, “Bind him.”
Jack and the rest could only watch in horror as their friend was mutilated right in front of their eyes. Meanwhile. the men tied the Pooka’s wrist on the table. One man strapped a leather muzzle on his muzzle, fastening the bonds. Pitch’s face grew close to Bunny’s ear as he whispered, “This is what I like to see. The last Pooka, finally in my grasp. Sleep well, Easter Bunny.”
Pitch pulled back, turning around. The men made sure he couldn’t move as they cowered away. The others stood in a crowd, cheering to themselves. Jack watched with wide eyes as Pitch picked up a thin sliver dagger, the end extremely sharp like a needle. He held the knife dangerously close to the rabbit’s chest, slightly dragging it. Once he picked a spot, he pulled the knife away. Bunny’s eyes were slightly red from the buildup of tears as he turned his head towards his family, looking at them one last time. Pitch raised the dagger, aiming it at the spot his picked. Jack looked at Bunny, his eyes nearly spilling tears, his head flying in a million directions. The crowd grew quiet as the knife reached higher into the sky. Bunny closed his eyes, ready for the intense burning sensation of pain.
Pitch then stopped.
He thought for a second.
Is this wrong?
Tooth, Sandy and North watched slightly, their chests heavily, theirs hearts rapidly beating. The crowd was silent, no one said a word. Pitch then decided. For Bunnymund, he opened his eyes at the wrong moment.
——————————————————————
Bunny’s eyes grew wide immediately as the knife was stabbed directly into his heart.
All movement ended as air swiftly left his lungs.
All noise ended as he heard ringing in his ears.
As he turned towards the night sky, he heard the sound of birds whistling in the distance. His eyes grew silent as his movements stilled. He lightly smiled under the muzzle, his eyes staring directly into the sky as the stars grew larger, like growing dots. Soon he felt his soul leave his body, his eyes shutting softly as he saw only the beautiful lights leading him home.
Bunnymund’s dead body laid their on the stone table, his skin turning cold with each passing moment. The paw that had been on the edge of the table stilled. Pitch smiled even while one tear escaped his eye. The soldiers cheered and laughed, holding their pikes and weapons up in the air.
The Guardians stood their, different emotions on their faces. Tooth cried out, screaming to herself. North shut his eyes tightly, tears falling. Sandy was in denial, his sand sculptures making a thousand different images in one. Jack’s eyes had shut tightly, his binds hardening as ice frosted over them. As the men of the army celebrated, a large explosion cut them off. An inraged Jack Frost charged the men, grabbing his staff and a sword from a guard. He used the sword to cut Tooth, North and Sandy’s binds. The 4 gathered together, fighting off as many creatures as they can…
About an hour passed, the Guardians huddled in the forest clearing, trying to comprehend what had happened. Tooth held her arms around North as she cried. North shushed her, patting her head. Sandy sat on a rock, creating sculptures of Bunny with his head. He sniffed, lowering his head. Jack couldn’t cry. He was numb from the shock and the feeling of loss hurt his heart. He finally mustered enough courage to speak,
“Guys? Can we go see him?”
North and Tooth looked up at Jack.
Tooth told her fellow friends, sniffling. “But, the army…”
“I don’t care. Just one last time, please.”
North let out a deep sigh, his eyes shutting closed. With his Russian accent, He answered,
“Da.”
No one was there. Pitch and his army had left the area after the murder. The wind blew throughout the cloudy morning. A bright yellow flower was decaying as a foot climbed up the quiet steps. With each step, Jack felt a deep dread as he saw his friend’s corpse laying directly how he had died, his eyes shut, his chest not moving. North gasped suddenly, his eyes filling with tears. As Jack approached the body, he held back a sob. He place his palm on Bunny’s arm, immediately feeling the coldness of his skin. He then begun to remove the leather straps, freeing the arms and legs. North, Sandy and Tooth helped by cutting off ropes and binds. Finally, Jack used a small knife from the ground and cut through the leather muzzle. When the strap was torn in two, he pulled it off. The Pooka’s face was pale, his mouth slightly agape. A small trail of red blood had fallen from his mouth, creating a tiny pool underneath. North carefully lifted Bunny’s body and set him on the floor. The corpse was limp like a doll as he was carefully set on the floor. Jack kneeled down, crying. He took this quiet moment to slide his hand under the neck of his companion, lifting it to look at him. The eyes stayed closed, his head only moving when Jack shook it, whispering wake up. When his mind accepted that his best friend has left him, he pulled the body against his chest. The arms of the Pooka were slight sprawled out on the floor, his knees slightly bent with his head in Jack’s lap. Tooth sniffled as she hugged Jack from the other side of the body. North came from behind, placing a hand on Jack’s shoulder. Sandy hugged Jack’s side. Jack shivered from a chilling feeling of loss. His sadness turned to anger as his face contorted into a stare of despair, his eyes burning with emotion and the empty loss of hope.