For Love of Mister Cotton Tail: An Apocalyptic Fairytale (Single) by Serena Walken

“Remember, your new fiancé?”
    “Oh , that. Well, I don’t know. A ring is a ring.” Darren followed her to the register. “I still really like you more, and I’d like to help out with your Sweet problem.”
    “I’m sure.”
    “Are you really going to be with a Vegan?” Darren chuckled at her. “I can overcome it. I am Spice, and that is way more powerful than Vegan.”
    Once again, Candy patted her growling basket. “Cotton has treated me fine. He’s even offered to marry me if we hit it off first.”
    “What?” Darren’s smile wiped clean off his face. “Your momma didn’t tell me that.”
    “Momma doesn’t know everything.” Candy took the pieces of chocolate out of the basket and set them on the counter. “He may be Vegan, but he is much sweeter than you.”
    Darren grabbed his chest like she stabbed his heart. “Ouch. But hey, I bet he can’t give you the riches I can. I was willing to settle for forty percent. You would be going for ten percent of Sweet Meats to over sixty percent.”
    “I share with my mom and my sister, it’s twenty percent each.”
    “Still better than what he could give you.” Darren held his hands up. “Fine, I will tell you what. I’ve tasted Posh, fair is fair. Go get your Vegan boy. Then come back, I’ll marry you first , and then we’ll finally taste each other. Agreed?” Darren laid his hand way too close to the basket. He brought it up right away. “Ow!”
    “Silly , Darren.” Candy picked up her groceries and stuffed them in the basket. “Baskets don’t bite.” She walked off before anyone else said a word.
     
    * * *
     
    “This was better.” Candy adjusted her rabbit ear as she made her way back down Bunny Hill’s hole. “See? You should have asked me last time instead of kidnapped me.”
    “I was afraid you might reject me if you saw me a s ― ”
    Candy watched Big Bunny but he stopped. “What? Transform into a human? It shouldn’t be that big of a surprise, I suppose.”
    “ I didn’t say human. Just, something.”
    Candy had expected to head down and see the same veggie conveyor belts working, but the other rabbits were nowhere to be seen. As she got closer through the holes, she could see why.
    Somehow, they had duplicated her candy. Hundreds of baskets were being lined with special candies held by each bunny down one conveyor belt. “The hens?” She guessed.
    “No, everyone has diff erent powers. That is the result of my mother’s main power,” Big Bunny answered. “That is why we bought all the bars. She can duplicate each to their full extent.”
    Along the wall there were already hundreds more baskets. “How many children are in the city?”
    “We don’t do just the city.” Big Bunny winked at her as he touched her floppy ear. “We do the world.”
    The world? The world?! “How?” She gestured toward the twenty rabbits around them. “You need a much bigger workforce.”
    “That isn’t all the bunnies here,” Big Bunny said. “Not even one percent. Rabbits multiply like . . .well, rabbits. You haven’t even touched a full one percent of our little society here.”
    Wow. Candy looked behind him as his mother came back around. He talked with her a little, and then his mother wrapped her arms around Candy.
    “ Carrot grass good, Candy of legend!”
    Of course, he must have mentioned the carrot and cucumber sliced spaghetti. Carrot grass, good name for it. Candy felt her head being patted by his mother before she finally let go.
    All night long, Candy helped boil eggs , and brushes were actually found for her size (okay, a little larger) to decorate them. Lying them in along with the baskets, others picked up on what she had done too. The cucumber and carrot shredding was easy to mimic with their old conveyor belts.
    “Great job.” Big Bunny hopped over by her. “I’m proud of you, Candy.”
    Candy tried to hide the strange blush. Her fur was white but she was afraid she might be turning red. For some reason,