Ashes.

Jack stayed on his knees crying for around half an hour but eventually he sighed and remembered something– someone–

Jamie and Sophie! The kids!

Out of nowhere, a wave of adrenaline came crashing through pulling Jack away from the sadness for a little bit to help him find his way to his believers. He stood up staff-in-hand and ran out the window and the wind instantly knew where he wanted to go. He was about to fly to Jamie’s window to check on them until he heard a cry of fear.

“Help! Help me please! What’s happening?! M-My parents an-and my brother- they disappeared.”

Much to Jack’s dismay, he would recognize the young ten-year-old voice anywhere. Sophie Bennett. Jack flew down to the front door where she was shouting.

“Jack!” She shouted and wrapped her arms around his torso.

“Soph…” he almost didn’t want to know for sure, “What happened?”

“Jamie and my parents! They turned to dust or something! How is this happening?!”

“I don’t know but it has been happening to a lot of the entire world.”

“Are the Guardians okay?”

“...It’s uh…it’s just me now, Soph.”

Sophie sobbed more into Jack’s hoodie. A big part of Jack just wants this to be some huge elaborate prank for freezing the dye river in Bunny’s Warren. Anything, it could be anything just not this. He wants Bunny to come out of his tunnels and the others to come in the sleigh and tell him this was all a well thought out prank and hug him and never scare him like this again. That sliver of hope left started to mean nothing as knelt to the ground and held a young girl with no family remaining to his chest. Now, she was just like him, and he really wished she wasn’t.

“J-Jack, I don’t wan-na go to an-an orphanage!”

“Don’t worry about that, Soph, you can stay with me.”

“Th-Thank you, Jack,” she whimpered, still breathing heavily. A sad look in her eyes like the one he saw in his little sister as he fell into the cold depths of the lake and seemed like all time stopped as he vaguely heard his sister scream for help–

No. Now wasn’t the time. Sophie just lost her family, just like he had.

And suddenly it was like she was just a toddler again. Jack remembered Sophie latching on to him as he flew her home and Jack liked the contact. He remembered having to pry her little hands apart only for her to fall on the ground. He remembered making a quick decision and throwing the blanket atop the little girl and then a stuffed animal right next to her. He remembered leaving with a smile on his face before falling into that trap of Pitch’s.

Jack then pulled back from Sophie and looked into her tired eyes. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and asked, “Wanna fly?”

Sophie agreed and as she shouted in excitement as the wind was bringing them to the north pole and she laughed out loud, Jack knew then and there that he would do whatever to keep that smile on her face. Sadly when they flew into the globe room and she saw the other Guardians’ ashes her smile fell.

“Is- is that…?” She trailed off.

“Yes,” Jack nodded, gravely.

They sat on the couches and watched the fireplace crackle and burn like he had earlier when they were having their Guardian meeting. Soon, Sophie spoke up to ask the question that Jack couldn’t stop asking himself.

“Can we fix this? At all?” She looked up at Jack with hopeful eyes and a frown. Eventually, he couldn’t keep looking her in the eyes and looked down at his hands in his lap.

“I don’t know. I’m not even sure how this could have happened. But the Guardians believe that I can save them and the world.” There was a bit of silence before Jack said, “We owe it to everyone to try…right?” He finally met Sophie’s gaze again and she nodded. This time it was Sophie’s turn to look away.

“Can we…go to…”

Jack instantly knew what she was talking about. A place that brought both of them comfort. “Yes. Let’s go.” He grabbed her hand and walked to North’s office for snowglobes.

He threw the snow globe as it turned into a portal for Sophie and him to walk through to get exactly where they needed to go. The portal engulfed the two of them and they couldn’t see anything for a couple seconds but when they opened their eyes, they were delighted with the sight of beautiful flowers, trees and colored ponds and rivers. The portal behind them closed and Sophie started slowly walking forward to grasp the sight. They watched as the small uncolored eggs followed each other into the lakes to be colored.

Sophie then sat down in the middle of it and closed her eyes, listening to the world around her and reminiscing her moments with who she called her favorite Guardian. Then she started to speak.

“Hey Bunny. I heard that you ended up…gone too. I don’t want to accept it though. You’ve been there for me ever since I was little, talked to me when no one else understood, and have been giving me the best Easter memories ever. Speaking of Easter, it’s coming up soon so disappearing was probably the last thing you should’ve done.” She paused. “I know you’re not here right now but we are going to figure it out. We’re going to figure it out and we’re going to bring you all back and just because you’re gone doesn’t mean I’m going to let Easter be a failure this year. I’ll help finish your eggs and then Jack and I will hide them across the globe. It’ll be crazy and it’ll take a while but there’s no way I’m letting people lose belief. I’m doing this for you so you’re going to have to owe me…all I want is for everyone back. You, Jamie, Mama, Dad.” She paused. “Please…” She sat there in silence for a couple of minutes and then got up and walked to Jack and sniffled, “let’s go back.”

So they did.

A couple seconds after they arrived Jack felt furry arms wrap around him and speaking that sounded like gibberish.

“Phil?”

The said Yeti then released his grip from Jack and then the winter spirit saw his panicked face. Then, he started rambling in a language that only North seemed to understand.

“Alright, alright, please calm down.” The other yetis and elves that were remaining surrounded all of them in the globe room.

Jack looked around at all of them, “Okay everybody, I know this is crazy but I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that the other Guardians, Yetis and elves return. Now, before then, we have to make sure that no matter what happens, Christmas still goes on! Keep doing your jobs and I will make sure to check in. Got it?” They all nod in understanding and sluggishly get back to work.

Sophie looks up at him, “Jack, this is a lot of responsibility for us. Saving Easter and Christmas is going to be especially hard. What if we mess it up?”

“We won’t. We’ll do our best because I agree with you. I don’t want the Guardians to be forgotten while they’re gone, I want them to come back and still have the same amount of believers as they had before they disappeared.”
Sophie nodded, “Sounds like a plan. Get our brains brewing and maybe figure this out, right?”

Jack smiled and nodded back. “Maybe…Alright Soph, since Easter is in a week, we should prepare. You can go back to the warren and get the eggs ready. People should still be able to feel the power of hope during this hard time.”

Sophie nodded and Jack prepared a bag for her with snow globes, a sketchbook, and a pencil so she could plan, and off she went.

Jack took a deep breath because he felt that if he didn’t calm down he would explode right there and then. It was almost silent besides the toys being made in the background. Suddenly, his silence was interrupted when he felt someone’s presence in the workshop.

“Jack Frost.” He said.

Jack turned to meet this mysterious man that was wearing some strange clothes. “Um, who are you and what are you doing here?”

“My name is Wong, I am the new Sorcerer Supreme and I need your help.”

“Wong? Just Wong? No last name? Or is it a stage name like some of those music artists…like Adele or Macklemore or something?” Jack chuckled lightly, remembering how Jamie would teach him about his favorite singers when his first believer was younger.

For a second it looked like this ‘Wong’ guy was punched in the gut. Jack didn’t know if it was something he said. Did he say something wrong? Did he not like music or something? Either way, Jack didn’t comment. He didn’t feel the need. Not anymore.

“I need your help after the decimation. The cause of this was an evil force from another world named Thanos. He used the infinity stones which are the foundation of the universe to murder half of all life in said universe to balance out the population. And yes we are humans, I am a human. A grown adult and I can see you.”

“So…an alien has a magic rock collection and doesn’t like overpopulation so he uses said rock collection to commit mass homicide?” Jack summarized.

“That’s one way to put it.” Wong said. “And if you help us I will give you a potion to help them see you. So the whole believing thing won’t be a problem.”

“Alright, why not. Sign me up. I will for any chance to save my family.”

Wong then gave him a small bottle containing what he could guess was the potion. He took a second to look at the bottle and then Wong before he drank it. He didn’t feel any different but he supposed he didn’t have to.

Suddenly an orange circle sparky thingy appeared at his feet and he looked up to see Wong doing some finger movement that looked to be controlling the sparky thingy.

“What are you doing–WOAH–” Jack could barely get a sentence out before he was free falling through a portal and onto hard ground.

He stood up and saw a huge building right in front of him with an ‘A’ at the top corner. He guessed this is where the Avengers were. Or at least what was left of them. The winter spirit entered the building and walked through some of the halls until he saw a woman with short blonde hair.

She paused to look at him. “Who are you?” She tensed.

“My name is Jack and the Sorcerer Supreme who said his name was Wong told me you guys needed help.”

“A little too late for that.” She walked away but Jack was quick to follow her.

“Please there must be some way! I’m the spirit of winter for the moon's sake!”
“Alright then. It’s fine if you stick around, we were told you were coming anyway. But so far we have no solutions.” The blonde said.

“Then I’ll just have to help with that.”

“Fine.” She gave in.

“Thank you. Now what’s your name?”

“Natasha. Natasha Romanoff.”

“Nice to meet you, Natasha.”

Suddenly someone came and said with a swarm of people following him, “He’s here.” A blonde man said.

Those words made her go after him outside. Jack couldn’t help but follow. It totally didn’t surprise him when he saw a magically enhanced woman carrying a huge spaceship down to the ground.

Two people came out. Or maybe just a dude and a blue alien? He wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. They exited and the man looked tired and starved. The blonde man from just seconds before helps him off of the ship.

“Couldn’t stop him,” the other man said.

“Neither could I.” Blondie said as he walked him off.

He turned to blondie and said with his voice dripping in misery, “I lost the kid.”

Blondie replied, “Tony, we lost.”

Oh, his name is Tony. He looks like a Tony. He also looks rich. Wait, is he Tony Stark?

Still, Jack tried his best to not let the situation get to him so much. They were going to find a way out. He had nothing to worry about. He was snapped out of his trance after a woman embraces Tony. His wife, maybe? He looks old enough to be married.

Everyone was going back inside except for the blue chick and…a raccoon? They sat on the entrance of the spaceship and held hands for comfort. They stayed like that for a minute while Jack stared at the moon hoping he would have an answer. He considered talking to the moon, but then reminded himself that he never talked back.