Jack had thought that the North Pole was a sad sight to see just yesterday, but this sight was even worse. Jack walked up to the Guardians just in time to see the children disperse and Bunny curl into himself in despair. His heart panged in sympathy: he knew what Bunny was feeling. He knew all too well. The rabbit had just been walked through for perhaps the first time in his immortal life. The children had given up hope. Just like they had forgotten wonder and their happy memories, hope was left behind.

North was the first to see the winter spirit arrive. "Jack!" He sounded so relieved. "Where were you? Are you alright?"

Jack swallowed hard as the other two immortals present snapped their attention to him. "Yeah. Pitch found me and held me up. I think he might have warped time or somthing as it felt like I was only caught up with him for a few minutes. Did... did any of the eggs make it?"

North deflated. "The nightmares swarmed us almost as soon as you left. Every tunnel was filled, and every basket was smashed. Nothing made it out save that one basket." North gestured sadly to the knocked over basket of eggs beside Bunny.

Jack felt his soft heart begin to crumble and crack at the sight. He couldn't demand neutrality: not in a situation like this. Maybe he could wait until after the war if they somehow pulled through. Not now.

Caught up in his sympathy, Jack missed Bunny slowly rising. "So," the rabbit's voice was low. If Jack had been truly paying attention he would have heard how it was barely contained and far too low to be friendly. "You were with Pitch, huh?"

Jack started, clutching his staff close to his chest as he did when uncomfortable or unsure. "Y-yeah. He found me and distracted me until it was too late to come back and finish helping. I had every intent to come back, it's just-"

"Then what's t h a t," Bunny cut him off, spitting the words out. His furry finger was pointing to the golden canister held in Jack's hand. Jack looked down himself, having momentarily forgotten what he was carrying, then panicked realizing how incriminating the little box seemed.

He shoved it in his hoodie pocket but the just looked even more incriminating. "No no, it's not what you think!"

Tooth's hands flew to her mouth. "Jack... you didn't..."

"No! No I really didn't!" His blood pressure was rising. He opened his mouth to explain but Bunny interrupted again, stalking predatorily up to Jack.

"You weren't 'just with Pitch' at all! You traded us in for a few memories ya little thief!"

Jack was backing up, one hand raised to protect himself. "No! I didn't trade you in! It was my plan since the beginning of this to get my memories back, sure, but that doesn't mean-"

CRACK

Jack's head snapped to the side and he flew backwards into a tree. His staff went sailing out of his hand. All the air was knocked out of his lungs and he sat slumped there, gasping like a fish: gasping silently. His hands leapt to the left side of his throat and face, feeling the already hot wound.

Bunny had backhanded him with enough strength to snap a mortal's neck in one blow. He had honestly just attacked Jack Frost. "Traitor!" The rabbit screamed, looking seconds away from stalking over and attacking again. "We should never have trusted you!"

Jack wanted to cry out saying that he wasn't a traitor! He had helped prepare Easter, and he would have come back to help hide eggs even if he couldn't help fight! He didn't want Easter ruined! He didn't want Sandy dead! All he had wanted was to be seen and to know why he was on this Earth in the first place!

But all that came out was a weak little gasp. Had Bunny struck him mute with that blow? He scrambled to a half-sit position, slide-crawling with one hand towards his staff, his other hand still clothing his throat.

In desperation, Jack looked behind Bunny to the other two. Tooth covered her ears to block out Bunny's continued yells. Babytooth cried and buried herself in her mother's feathers. Jack looked to North: good, kind North who understood Jack and believed he was good on the inside. He tried to speak once again, to call out to St. Nicholas North, dear old Santa who brings gifts to children, and beg the man to listen and keep believing he was good.

"N-th." It was barely a spit: a weak gasp that ended in a short and bloody raspberry. Yet North cringed when hearing the sound. He had heard it then! He would talk sense into Bunny! He'd stop this!

Saint Nicholas North closed his eyes and turned his back on his good Jack Frost.

Jack couldn't believe it.

Pitch had been right! They had been using him! They didn't care at all! They only had strung him along as the Moon had said he was a Guardian and because he had been having fun helping prepare Easter: genuinely having fun. But now they weren't letting him explain: more, they had cut off his means of explanation.

His hand fell on his staff. In a flash the Wind rushed to his side and Jack Frost was gone from the clearing, leaving the broken shells of the Guardians and Easter far behind.

Jack Frost flew faster than ever before. What normally would have been a twenty minute flight at most was finished in five: he might have broken the sound barrier, but he wasn't paying attention to notice. Jack crashed into the snow of the Antarctic. He didn't rise.

With a strangled sob he let the ignored pain set in. His face and neck were throbbing, red hot (which means more to a winter spirit than it does you or me,) and aching more deeply than he could have ever thought possible. His throat felt swollen and his eyes were pouring out half-frozen tears that bit and dug into his cheeks. Breaths were shuddering in and out of his burning lungs, leaving him disoriented and in more pain with each intake of frigid air.

Then there was his heart, broken into too many pieces by the Guardians: he didn't know what to think. They called him a traitor, but he had never been actually properly allied with them to betray them. And wasn't it more traitorous of them to accuse and judge him before he had a chance to speak?

Jack choked and gagged on his own tumultuous emotions. All he wanted right then was to be alone: to never let anyone back into his life again.

In one silent scream, all his emotions ripped out of him with enough force to send him into immediate unconsciousness. One of the Moon's many mistakes was blessing Jack with such intense winter powers, only to then ignore the spirit, leaving him without training or guidance. It wasn't just that he was the winter: the Winter (a force more primal and ancient and natural to earth than any other,) was his devoted and loyal servant. What he felt, the Winter mirrored: when he was joyful, the snow was in plenty and perfect for snowballs and snow forts; when he was sad, it would droop down into slushy puddles; mad, and it would swirl around him, protective and dangerous.

This was the first time the Winter felt its Boy Master overcome with heartbreak and, for the first time, the Winter was fully awakened, whereas previously it "slept" or "lightly dozed". It felt down into the depths of Jack, reaching for a feeling to latch onto. It grabbed his primal desire to be distant from everyone; for if no one is near you, then no one can hurt you; and if no one can hurt you, then you are safe.

The Winter acted. With its Boy Master unconscious and his power lent to the Winter, it swirled up a storm greater than that of even the Blizzard of '68, spanning the whole frozen continent with Jack as its epicenter: the repercussions of this storm would be felt world wide. The Winter wanted to spit in the eyes of those foolish little mortals and Guardians for hurting its Boy Master so and for being so blind to who he was. Soon, it knew, every one on this mortal planet would know the name Jack Frost, even if it had to bring about that day itself.

Suddenly, the Winter felt someone else on the continent. It hissed and rushed the newcomer, throwing all of its hatred, anger, and spite into his face. With a simple command, it constructed an ice barrier around its Boy Master to lock him away so he belonged only to the Winter as he should. It screamed in the newcomer's face. For the first time in thousands of years, the Winter spoke.

"N O O N E M A Y C O M E! L E A V E!" Its voice boomed in the mind, cold and cracking and without mercy to anyone save its spirit children and its Boy Master: it was too ancient and powerful to be describe as either male or female.

The newcomer sneered. "I've come to help him!" Pitch yelled, his voice inaudible to his own ears over the howling wind. "I agree that he has been wounded and treated poorly! Please, let me help him!" He should have never let Jack return to those Guardians: he knew they were going to turn on him, but he had let his dear boy to run back to them anyway. When he had felt Jack's fear, it was the most potent thing he had felt in centuries, and he had instantly abandoned his nightmares to rush to Jack's side.

"N O O N E!! N O E X C E P T I O N S!!" The Winter shrieked and swirled harder. It did not know who this darkness newcomer man was: it only bowed and paid any attention to its beloved Boy Master! The winds were its children and they each listened to the Boy Master! The other seasons saw the Boy Master as powerful and cowered under his power; even though they could harm him if they wished, they never would for fear of his great hidden powers! He deserved to be a king! Beloved by all! And the Winter would see to that future some day, somehow! "L E A V E N O W, S M A L L D A R K N E S S!"

Pitch growled, but it died quickly. What could he do? Though he was ancient in many ways himself, and powerful in the same, he was an alien force on this earth, and he had no control of the elements. If the Winter denied him access, then he would not have access.

But...

The Winter watched closely as the small darkness stilled. Ancient magic rolled off of the small darkness's tongue, binding the continent, the Boy Master, the Winter, and himself in an unbreakable promise. The power of magic allowed his voice to be heard over the tumult and across the ice landscape.

"When my victory is established and my reign secure, I shall come again. When the new day sun breaks through the storm, I shall come again. The winds shall cease their flurry and the Winter itself shall cease its fury, and I shall come again. I shall not know true peace until this child is found and brought to safety in my kingdom. I shall come again, and I shall come for Jack Frost!"

The Winter howled and the Winds moaned, angry to be brought into this promise. The Winter increased its fury. Ice was spreading and gathering on Pitch, but still he did not leave. He cast one look into the eye of the storm, where he could feel Jack in his despair.

Silently, so that not even the Winter could hear, Pitch muttered, "I will come for you Jack. I should not have let you leave."

With a heavy heart, Pitch turned and vanished into a lump of black sand.

A/N

WHOOOOOOOOO

Who doesn't love some good feels, eh?

Also, since I posted last chapter a day late, I decided to post this a day early. Seems fair to me.

If you couldn't tell by all of the mean things I did here, I had quite a bit of fun writing this chapter. Quite a bit :D . I also really like how I portrayed the Winter's consciousness: it is slightly primal, given that it is thousands of years old, and it only cares for the spirits under its influence, Jack over them all. In the Winter's eyes, Jack is fit to be ruler over all earth; of course, we can see he isn't, and this will be stressed more later.

Comment of the day is from guest reviewer Rey. First off, I am far from the only fanfictions for the movie, though I am happy you love it: I am also planning a fanfiction to function as a sequel for the movie itself, once I finish this one here. Second, Jack is super powerful: he just didn't comprehend that in the movie very well. I'm tying lore from the book series into this, and I'll explain how he is so powerful later. Third, thank you! Everyone loves to hear that they have an amazing talent!

If anyone wants any of my other stories, or information about them, I have summaries and plans in my bio, so check that out. I kinda range all over in terms of fanfiction, but the important ones have summaries (or will soon.)

That's all for now! So long Lovies!