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Chapter Text

"What!?!"

Shadow Milk Cookie, Beast of Deceit, looked with shock, horror, and rage as giant vines of white lilies, much bigger and thicker than the previous ones, coils and wraps around the Silver Tree. No, this is not how it's supposed to go. Everything was going his way. Everything was in his grasp. He was finally going to be free. He could care less about his fellow Beasts, the entirety of Earthbread was finally his playground once again. But...

He turned his rage to the new "Guardian" and the group of puny crumbs that ruined his fun, teeth baring like a rabid predator. Yet, she stared unfazed while having that undaunting look on her face that rivals the old Elder Faerie Guardian.

"You...YOU...!! I gave you two choices!!" He snarled accusingly, then gasped when he feels the tug of the tree pulling him back.

No, this cannot be the end! It cannot be!

White Lily Cookie only stared at him with no remorse or sympathy. The other Cookies were starting to relax. He can already tell what they are thinking: "They did it, they had defeated the Beast Cookie," they thought. There would be a grand celebration for the "brave and mighty heroes" who saved Beast Yeast from the treacherous Shadow Milk Cookie, with songs and dances in honor of their heroic deeds and the newly entrusted guardian.

Oh...but he is not done yet...

"You took away the moment I have waited for so long...." Shadow Milk Cookie's attention landed on a plain ginger-Cookie with white skull buttons, who in turn was looking nervously and stepping back. Better yet, he was far away from all the others. His face spreads to a monstrous grin as he decided to make one final trick, "So I will take someone down with me!"

With a roar and great strength, Shadow Milk Cookie lunged towards the intended little Cookie he will be taking back with him in the accursed prison. Screams and yells of the terrified Cookies reached his ears like a melody, making him grin manically as his claws reaches to swipe the tiny terrified Cookie before him.

But.

"SHADOW MILK COOKIIIIIIIE!!!!"

Bored.

Bored.

So bored.

Bored bored bored bored bored bored bORED BORED BORED BORED!!

Burning Spice Cookie, sitting on the floor with legs crossed, smashes his giant fist to the ground as smoke seethes between his canines, growling impatiently and furiously. Where is Shadow Milk Cookie? Why has he not freed them yet?! This is finally, FINALLY, their chance to reign Earthbread once again. That wretched Elder Faerie Cookie is dead, that weak half Cookie had no power to make vines again, and yet that manic loon is still playing around?!

"RAAAGH!! If that jester wastes any more time doing his stupid magic tricks, I will go over there and bring down my axe over his stupid head and rip out every last eyeballs!" He gritted, eyes blazing and his axe gripped on both hands, "I am itching for a good thrill right now, craving to bring some puny village to crumbs, and his stalling is ruining my mood!"

Silent Salt Cookie huffs, shaking his head in disapproval towards the spice Cookie. He had been in a state of constant meditation for long since they were all sealed, sometimes cleaning his sword to pass the time. It was a practice that he and Mystic Flour Cookie had been both doing to pass the eternal time locked in the accursed tree. Though, the Beast of Apathy never had the same toleration level as the Beast of Silence in terms of the air of...well, silence. She does not show it, but Silent Salt Cookie has seen times where the white Cookie slits her eyes behind those eyelids.

Now, they all could push their power together and break out of the tree. However, doing so would make their apparition forms (the only thing that can let them be as physical as they closely can get) less likely to have the capability to physically or magically interact with the outside world, much less cause havoc. And among them, Shadow Milk is the only one greatly capable of doing such a feat with ease now that the Elder Guardian's magic is weak.

"Will you keep it down, you are ruining my nap," the sweet voice of an annoyed Eternal Sugar Cookie yawned at a corner, curled up like a feline with her wings acting like a blanket while glaring at the spice Cookie. Though she too is just as excited as the others to get out of this prison but...it would take too much energy from her.

"Be patient, Burning Spice Cookie," Mystic Flour Cookie called out in a calm and monotone manner, meditating alongside the silent knight, her fan held in front of her face "All will be to fruition soon. Despite your....justifiable claims, Shadow Milk Cookie, immature and arrogant as he is, knows not to ruin this plan...or unsavory consequences will be met,"

Silent Salt Cookie nodded, looking over him as he let his senses update him to everything. The silent Cookie's ability lets him feel his counterpart from outside the tree, a bonus with the capability to see through the Soul Jam.

Silent Salt Cookie looks back at old events of his counterpart. He shook his head when White Lily Cookie got to the banquet and saw the horrifying "truth" she had been searching. Strong, but terribly weak minded to be able to comprehend the event. Freedom shattered upon there, and he lost sight of her. He presumed she was dead, but her (his) Soul Jam's remains still clings, as he could feel that she was half of her soul, split apart and saved by the Light of Freedom.

"...!!!"

The sudden miniscule shift from the knight was enough for Mystic Flour Cookie to notice, brows furrowing.

"Silent Salt Cookie? What-"

That's when all four Beasts felt it.

They felt the magic of Silent Salt Cookie's counterpart. No, it's different. It was boosted with Faerie magic as the vines starts blocking off the hole on the seal.

Silent Salt Cookie really wants to verbally curse himself for not noticing the changes. And now he's paying the price-

"SHADOW MILK COOKIIIIIIIIE!!!!!!"

The knight's helmet shot up as he saw Burning Spice Cookies's burning form ramming through the vines and heading to the jester. The red Cookie's destruction starts disappearing as the vines begin regenerating and recovering almost quickly.

Silent Salt Cookie is finding the ability to verbally speak reeeeeaally tempting right now. But he just flashes from his meditation state and rushed through the hole made by the Beast of Destruction before the hole is finally sealed off.

The only ones left were the two only females in the group.

"....They'll be back..." was all Eternal Sugar Cookie waved lazily before curling up and catching Zs.

Mystic Flour Cookie sighed as she agrees with it. The Silver Tree will, with most certain, pull those three back inside the seal. After all, where else would those three be imprisoned?

"Dear Elder Faerie, what have I done?"

The Guardian of the Sacred Tree, White Lily Cookie, in her Moonlight gown and all radiant grace, could only cover her face in meekly shame as Pure Vanilla Cookie and the rest of the Faerie Cookies watches the young plain ginger Cookie screaming in panic and constantly submerging his flaming cane into the stream's water no matter how many times he tries to extinguish it. They can occasionally hear the angry roars from the cane before they become muffled gurgles under the water.

At another side, the short young Cookie in a wizard motif was bashing and waving his staff around while his one visible eye was closed in fear and in an attempt to throw out the being possessing his staff. The blue snake-like eye that was in the staff's hard candy drop was now swaying and spinning around disoriented and concussed, its dignity breaking on each whack.

The last child was, to the mercy of the helm of the silent knight reflecting from the surface of her giant lollipop, was sitting a fair distance away from it. She was considering whether or not to pull her hood down and pretend that he was not there. It wasn't easy not to as she could feel his gaze.

What happened the last few minutes ago was...bizarrely unexpected.

It first started in a form of the frightful sight of three-THREE- Beast Cookies out of the tree. Such a sight would be enough to give the Faerie Kingdom residents a heart attack and make Elder Faerie Cookie loss two hundred more years of his already old age. Pure Vanilla Cookie already felt like he lost fifty of his immortal life, while White Lily Cookie felt like she just died again.

The first of the new threats was a bulk red hot Cookie that reminded Pure Vanilla of Muscle Cookie and Yam Cookie. A lot of the Beast's aspects leans on the berserker Cookie with how little protection they both have, there are still some obvious differences: The black long mane was wild and unkempt, the two golden shoulder armor pointed with a golden horn, golden cuffs, and the loincloth-like clothing he wore. A strong scent of spices and ashes waved off of the hulk of a Beast. On the red Cookie's chest was an upturned triangular red Soul Jam, which Pure Vanilla pieces together that the Beast was Golden Cheese Cookie's counterpart. He silently prayed that she was recovering well and would not need to face that thing.

The next was what is best described as a knight born from the hollows of a dead land. Its armor is decrepit and worn, yet still functions with great sturdiness. The knight's head is covered with a helmet that has a flowing mane of dark and ominous mist at the back of its head. The twin slits that made up the visors on the front of the Beast's face guard glowed a menacing purple shade, hindering any way of identifying the eyes behind those gaps. By the Beast's side is a sword that could equally rival Dark Cacao Cookie's in terms of size. But what really kicked it is the Soul Jam on the base, an inverted three crown purple Soul Jam. He can only imagine how horrified White Lily Cookie is right now.

Despite this, the red Cookie among the newcomers was less attention on them and more on Shadow Milk Cookie, who held the look of surprise, as the red Beast swung a fist at him However, the trickster dodged a nick from being punched. This somehow caused an unfortunate tumble for the both of them, timbering down towards GingerBrave and Wizard Cookie who Pure Vanilla Cookie did not see.

The knight tried to stop the two, but was pushed back by the flailing arm of the spice-scent Cookie and launched towards Strawberry Cookie's direction. This brought more stress to every one as three Beasts were about to fall individually above the THREE young Cookies.

Before Pure Vanilla Cookie could react, the magic of the Guardian radiated next to him. And a blinding flash engulfed all their visions. Deaf ringing clouded his hearing as the blindness disappeared after what feels like an eternity.

All their bearings now returned, they tensed at what feared to face...or the lack thereof.

Sprawled on the grass, dazed, were the children who were getting up and looking around in confusion. For a while, everything seems fine, and they all assumed that White Lily Cookie managed to seal the three Beasts back.

She did, but it became apparent they were sealed in the wrong places.

Which leads to what is unfolding before him and the knights as two of the three were still trying to "exorcist" the monsters out of their weapons. Well, Wizard Cookie is the one trying, GingerBrave is still continuously dunking his cane in the water trying to stop it from constantly being on fire. Strawberry Cookie remained distant from her lollipop, actually shifting away more and more from her now possessed weapon.

Dear Witches, what has this expedition become?

Chapter Text

Burning Spice Cookie was on his wits end. He, the harbinger of ash and ruin, Beast of Destruction, commanding ruler of the Spice Tribes, has now become nothing more than the swinging pathetic candy cane of a weak, plain, inferior Cookie. All because of some insolent jester ruining the moment of freedom that they all have been waiting for! He swears, if he gets out of the wrenched stick he was imprisoned in, he's going to-

*Splash!!*

"WILL YOU FUCKING STOP THAT ALREADY?!?!!!"

"No! Not until you stop setting my cane on fire!”

It had been two hours since the three Beasts were now stuck in the objects carried by the trio of kids. Currently, the kids (minus GingerBrave), the imprisoned Beasts (minus Burning Spice Cookie and against their will), two Heroes, and half a dozen Silver Faerie Cookie scholars were sitting around a large rectangular table by a river with books and scripts stacked over. Safe to say, things were somewhat calmer now.

If you can consider the current arguing between GingerBrave and his screaming cane near the water (to avoid burning the records), Wizard Cookie skimming through one book to another with the guide of a Silver Faerie while ignoring the muffling empty threats from the candy staff that is now excessively mummified with the thickest bandages, Pure Vanilla Cookie trying and failing to keep his stress down as he’s reading around the scrolls (his flower staff’s eye showing his inner anxiety as it constantly glances at the shouting mummified staff), and the dishevelling White Lily Cookie as something you can state as calm.

The only ones who aren’t as stressed or anything you can describe the present situation are Strawberry Cookie and the Beast in her lollipop. As of right now, Strawberry Cookie is mostly leaving the knight alone and reading one of the books, while Silent Salt Cookie was equally leaving the shy Cookie in her own devices. One would think these two have made a non-verbal mutual agreement, and they might be half right about that. Because while Strawberry Cookie is helping the group to find a way to reverse this mishap, Silent Salt Cookie was contemplating thoughtfully over something he had realized he was missing that his idiotic and immature compatriots weren’t noticing.

First, they are incredibly power-degraded. Their usual strength was cut off from them and what power they have as of the moment is undeniably low. He had been testing this for a while and sure enough, his core can only make small wisps of scented salt that can only knock out half a dozen Cake Hounds. But there is also the feeling of some parts of his capabilities locked away unless activated by command.

Speaking of powers, another that was separated from him is his Soul Jam. In his prison of pink, he felt the lack of energy of the Silence. Damn those Idiots. Without the Soul Jam's connection to him (and the two to an extent), the unchecked power would lead to something disastrous.

Beast of Calamity he may be, he still has a conscience of awareness on how the Soul Jams operates. The other used to too, but they soon either forgot or threw it away. One might question why he even cares for such trivial things? Simple answer:

Death.

Solidarity is the form of two different aspects other than unity and division; companionship and loneliness. It also symbolizes life and death itself. Freedom is the aspect of seeking and reflecting on the meanings of being alive and seeking unity under one belief. Silence, however, personifies the opposite: it is the purging of unity, striking of fear, cowardice, and selfish survival, killing off voices of opposition and rebellion metaphorically ... and literally .

To him, there is no one else to trust but yourself. Only the strong can rule. So silence all.

By any…

Means….

Necessary.

….But that does not matter here and now, does it.

Silent Salt Cookie lets out a mute sigh, looking up to the sky through the pink dome. It was already twilight to dusk as the orange hue started fading and several stars started twinkling up above. Serene, enchanting, reminded him of the time when all five of them were still their old selves…

“.....”

“Uhm…”

Ah. He forgot his warden is next to him. It has only been two hours or more and his senses had gotten rusty already? That, admittingly, is a shamefully embarrassing thing that he, The Knight of Silence, would never be able to live down if any of the Beasts knew. Still, it is quite suspicious that his warden, a shy child who had great nervousness towards his presence, prisoned or not, tries to strike a conversation with him.

“Do you like the stars?” Silent Salt hears his warden whisper, most likely to avoid being heard by the others. After all, who is stupid enough to-

“I WILL BURN YOUR DOUGH INTO ASHES, EAT THEM, SPIT THEM OUT, AND BURN THEM AGAIN, YOU INSOLENT WEAK COOKIE!”

“Oh yeah! Then I will do it first before you!”

-never mind. Those two would.

“Hey! Don't speak badly of my brother…although, he can be a bit of an airhead sometimes. He-he!” his warden giggled after that little scolding.

…

…

…….???

Silent Salt turned his head to the face of his warden. Her eyes were momentarily shocked, but soon mellowed to confusion.

“Huh? Are you-”

“STRAWBERRY COOKIE!”

He watches as Strawberry Cookie, terrified, throws the book in her hands up to the air as her arms sprung up as if she was being arrested for something heinous. By some miracle, it landed on her table spot, neatly in place and opened to where the knight assumed she stopped reading. Still, he turned his attention to the culprit of such a loud shout, which came from none other than his counterpart. Her look was just as horrified as the day she learned what happens in the Witch’s Banquette. 

“What are you doing?!” White Lily Cookie almost yelled, but she had already caused a scene. Quite uncharacteristic of her, Silent Salt Cookie thought.

Glancing momentarily at his warden, he can see the child now shivering, arms close to her chest, and icing eyes starting to waver closely to tears. Oh perfect, the guardian is just about to make her cry. For an Ancient Hero, she had certainly done more damage than she already had. If that saint has not noticed yet, the girl is already having to burden herself with babysitting him. No need to berate or even shout at a literal kid with self-esteem issues.

“White Lily Cookie, please do not shout at the young one,” Silent Salt heard Shadow Milk Cookie’s counterpart trying to ease the situation. He glanced at the two heroes as he saw shame filling the guardian’s face.

“I… I’m sorry. It’s just that I fear what kind of vile things the Beast of my Soul Jam would tell her,” her head hung low in guilt as her grip in her staff thightens.

“White Lily Cookie is right, Strawberry Cookie,” that short Cookie, Wizard Cookie if the knight remembered correctly, scolded firmly as he glares at him through the lollipop, “We cannot and should not trust whatever words these monsters tells us,”

Then a snort echoed to the air.

“He-he-he-he-ha-Ha-Ha-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-!!!!” the roaring laughter of Burning Spice Cookie rumbled from the plain Cookie’s cane, “Oh, that is rich! Sooo rich! Silent Salt Cookie talking?! You may as well consider me the most scrawny Beast Cookie in history!”

Silent Salt Cookie would roll his eyes if he feels like it as all attention now turned to the guffawing candy cane. Even muffled, the silent knight can hear Shadow Milk Cookie cackling to the same joke.

“Uhh… what do you mean by that?” Silent Salt Cookie could feel a mental groan coming when the plain Cookie, GingerBrave from his memories, asked that. With a density that makes the silent Beast glad he’s not stuck with him as said Cookie optimistically raises his cane (and Burning Spice Cookie to the extent), , “All Cookies can talk! There are no Cookie in this world that could never express their voice out like we all do,”

… Silent Salt is, by the Witch of Light (his compatriots can sue him for all he cares), considerably lucky to not be stuck with the most idiotic one in the trio.

Silent Salt Cookie could feel the momentary pause from Burning Spice Cookie before the destroyer spoke again, “Are you deaf? Or did what I said flew over your head?”

Silent Salt Cookie is well aware that Burning Spice Cookie is not as dumb as many would think, but the red Cookie has always been  brawns over brains when someone (by any form of language and means) challenges him and other aspects of him. Like how Shadow Milk Cookie's failure challenged Burning Spice Cookie's patience.

Series of mufflings came from the bundled staff that got a distrustful glare from the wizard kid and a cautious look from the vanilla hero.

“Um… what is he saying?” Strawberry Cookie wondered.

“Probably nothing truthful, that's for sure!” was the response Wizard Cookie harrumph with a high head.

Another arrow he had dodged, Silent Salt Cookie thought.

“...Those idiots really-” a huff of smoke came out of the cane as an aura of irritation emits from the imprisoned spicy Cookie, “Silent Salt Cookie lost his voice during a riot formed by some delusional and self-entitled Cookie during his time as the Paladin of Solidarity, striking Silent Salt Cookie's throat and rendering him voiceless. Said day was also the very day Silent Salt Cookie became the Beast of Silence,”

“That's….horrible,” the knight feels her warden's sympathy projected to him. He doesn't need such thing, the past is in the past. Nothing would change it.

“It did not helped the fact that he was the last of us five to not fall from their Virtue. Rumors of us four had brought paranoia to his believers,” a dark chuckle rumbled from Burning Spice Cookie as he reminisced the memory, “Oh you should've seen how desperate he was behind his stoic and righteous facade. He tried to reason us to go back to being good? And how he tries to promise his little Cookies that he won't fall from grace? Ha! Remember that, Silent Salt Cookie?”

….

Silent Salt Cookie could feel all eyes and emotions focusing on him.  He can feel the plain Cookie looking at him with sadness, the “heroes” looking with horrified and pained looks, the wizard kid trying and failing to feel sorry for him, the Faerie Cookies questioning what they know about the Beasts’ origins.

Strawberry Cookie….

?!?!?!?!?!?!!!

Strawberry Cookie had stood up from her seat, eyes shadowed and almost unreadable. She turned and walked towards GingerBrave and the demon imprisoned in his cane. No one else but Silent Salt Cookie could actually know what her true emotions are right now.

Until…

“GingerBrave,” Strawberry Cookie started, her tone evidently spooking the plain Cookie, “May I borrow the cane for a moment?”

All eyes watching are now looking shocked and appalled. With justifiable reasons too.

Earlier today, after the revelation of the three Beast Cookies being trapped in the items the children carry about settled in their minds, some soldiers tried to take away said weapons. While the young ones obliged, the weapons themselves didn't. The next thing they knew, these soldiers were launched away by an invisible force the moment they directly made contact, knocking them unconscious in an instant.

This indicates that only the wielders can safely carry the weapons and no one else. 

But for another wielder to ask if they can borrow another's weapon? That is an uncertain and risky thing to imagine.

GingerBrave gulped and reluctantly looked at his cane and his sister, afraid of seeing her hurt, “Strawberry Cookie, are you-”

“Yes,” Silent Salt Cookie is undeniably flabbergasted as the rest at the immediate answer.

Silent Salt Cookie weight in the ups and downs of this situation. This could be his chance to be free from this confinement if the repelling force kills his warden. However, if her dying does not mean his freedom, then he's stuck in the lollipop without a worthy wielder for all of time.

…and why is his heart pounding with concern? For Strawberry Cookie?

“Go ahead, pink whelp,” the knight snapped out of his musing and looked to the radiating candy cane as he could feel the harbinger's cruel grin etching, “I want to see just how far you can fly,”

The spice Cookie’s words brought more hesitancy to the plain Cookie, but Strawberry Cookie's already upfront hands were waiting.

A second passed.

Then three,

Then five,

Shakily, the plain Cookie slowly handed out his cane. Everyone else were either tense or could not look anymore and turned away. Burning Spice Cookie's grin was becoming more animalistic from Silent Salt Cookie's senses.

Soon, the cane is now in Strawberry Cookie's hands.

….

….

…….Nothing happened.

“Thank you, GingerBrave,” Strawberry Cookie, with a sweet happy look in her closed eyes, said innocently, then added, “and sorry for your cane,”

Burning Spice Cookie could only say one thing in his bafflement:

“What-”

* THOOOOOOOM!!!!!!! *

…Silent Salt Cookie oddly felt proud of the child, having a sense of respect for her… and the desire to rub something on his fellow Beasts’ face.

“Thanks, GingerBrave!” Strawberry Cookie happily waved after walking back as she reached her side of the table, picked up her giant lollipop, and placed it on her back as she called out, “And again, sorry about your cane!”

As the hooded shy child left with her hand in her hoodie pockets while humming a tune, everyone else (minus the mummified staff of course) could only gawk at what they just witnessed and the underlying ruins it left.

The cane, and Burning Spice Cookie at the very extent, is left in a deep ditch of a crater trailed with a few hundred foot long dirt path that was 75 degrees from the river which was soon being filled with water. In the dirt mound, The handle of the cane is seen as chunks of the earth littered the grass.

“...I have completely forgotten how strong Strawberry Cookie actually is,” Wizard Cookie broke the silence, “and how scary she gets when she's angry,”

“Strawberry Cookie… can do that?” Pure Vanilla Cookie, with slight awe and fear, cannot take his eyes off the scene, his flower's eye looking as shock as him. They continued staring as GingerBrave broke out of his stupor and ran towards the crater. It took him more than a minute to get there and down the crater, climbing the mound and soon reaching his cane.

“Oh my goodness,” White Lily Cookie does not have anything else to say as they watch GingerBrave successfully pull out the cane, but fell over and tumble down the mound. The Cookie stood unhurt and looking proudly victorious.

“...How about we put the spell search on hold for now, our Guardian,” one of the Faerie Cookie scholars suggested.

“Yes, I think we can end it here for now,” White Lily Cookie said, still a bit dazed.

_______________________

In the temple of the Golden Cheese Kingdom, by the stairs of her throne, Golden Cheese Cookie looks up from her daily document reports with confusion and suspicion.

A Cheesebird in a lab coat noticed the change on her face and asked, “Iz zomething the matter, Your Majezty? Chirp!”

“I just felt the odd compulsion to laugh at someone's misfortune for their arrogant ego. As well as reward the Cookie who did the deed,” she huffed and pouted with her arms crossed and wing twitching, “The only problem is that I do not know who they are, where they are, and what the deed is,”

She shook her head and smiled haughty with a raise of her spear, “Ah, enough dilly-dallying. We still have an entire kingdom to reform,”

The Cheesebird gave a happy smile as they raised a wing as a salute, “Yez, my Queen. Chirp!”

Chapter Text

“Help! Monsters!”

Cookies of an unnamed village ran in terror as Cake Monsters ran rampant all over the streets from the hills, causing havoc and distress to all the homes and vendors. By the village entrance, a Cakeberus howled as more of its kin charged in.

On the Cakeberus’ back, a familiar red Cookie with a monster cake arm laughs evilly with triumph.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Yes. Go forth, my brethrens! Terrorize this village!” Red Velvet Cookie laughed as Cookies of the village screamed in terror.

“If only there's a brave and powerful wizard who can ward off these horrid beasts!” A damsel Cookie stresses with a dramatic swoon, which another Cookie manages to catch her.

“Never fear!!”

All the panicking and rampaging stopped when a tall shadowy figure stood at the other end of the street, standing seven feet tall with his scarf flowing like a cape in the wind. His long staff held in his hand was then raised as he proclaimed his identity.

“I, The Great and Almighty Wizard Cookie, is here to save this village from these heinous Cake Monsters!” The Great Wizard Cookie stood tall, making all the Cookies in the village look in awe. 

“No, not him!” Red Velvet Cookie exclaimed, looking with fear and awe, “Not the most powerful and handsome wizard in all of Earthbread!”

Dramatically, Wizard Cookie waves his staff, the candy building up power as he gave a confident and noble chant before flicking the spell to the Cake Monsters.

“ABRA-COOKIE-DABRA!”

All their eyes were filled with blinding lights, before it is revealed the mighty power of the spell of Pretty, Handsome, and Fancy: which gave the Cake Monsters hats, bows, suits, and monocles. Some are even showing table manners and formal etiquettes, like sipping tea with a pinkie out, male monsters showing being polite to women.

“Nooo! My greatest weakness: high class aristocracy!” Red Velvet Cookie dramatically flinches away, as if he was blinded by a flashing light, “Retreat, my Cakes! Retreat!”

The Cake Monsters all followed behind the running Cakeberus as they all retreated to the hills, some tipping their top hats before disappearing from the other side. 

Wizard Cookie proudly tapped the footing of his staff to the pavement as he declares, “That's right! Runaway, you scruffians! And don't you ever forget the name of the greatest wizard Cookie in all of Crispia!”

The villagers all soon cheered for his victory, fawning and chanting over his name. Wizard Cookie puffed his chest and walked around the street with noble purpose, the Cookies crowding him.

“You are truly Crispia's great and almighty wizard Cookie, O Great and Almighty Wizard Cookie!” one Cookie shouted.

“Yes yes, I am Great and Almighty,” he relishes.

“Please marry me, Wizard Cookie!” one female Cookie exclaimed, which causes a fight between other female Cookies.

Wizard Cookie ignores this as he bask under the cheers and glory. Besides, he's not interested in such controversial stuff. He is, after all, The Great and Almighty-

“Wizard Cookie?” A high pitch voice said, gaining his attention.

“Huh?” he looked down and looking up at him is a young shepherd Cookie with (familiar?) yellowish vanilla hair (a few strands springing out here and there), mismatched pair of eyes (yellow on the left, blue on the right), and a star mark on his forehead. Next to the little shepherd boy is a Cream Lamb that looks like to be… shaking?

“Why hello there, little Cookie,” Wizard Cookie greeted with an almost pompous tone, “What can I, The Great and Almighty Wizard Cookie-”

“BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!”

In an unexpected burst, the lamb let out a mad cackle as it fell over its back, kicking its hind hooves, then rolling around and slapping its fore hooves on the ground. Wizard Cookie looked with perplexity on his face, finding something amiss with how the lamb laugh-

Wait a minute.

The voice sounded familiar.

Is that-

“Shadow Milk Cookie!?!” Wizard Cookie exclaimed, taking a step back as the lamb continued cackling.

“Umm…I'm here as well, I guess?” spoke the vanillian shepherd child.

Vanillian? Yellow and blue eyes? Star on the forehead?

“P-P-Pure Vanilla Cookie!?!” Wizard Cookie, who was parading with confidence, became a stuttering and flustering mess over the realization that there's an actual Ancient Hero in his dreams. No doubt caused by the Beast who is currently a lamb.

Speaking of, Shadow Milk Lamb wipes his tears as he stands and looks at him with those mismatch blue eyes, his dangerous smile reflecting from the lamb's face.

“Oh, this is hilarious. Truly an entertaining fool's play,” he chuckles, looking up and down the tall wizard, “So this is what you dream all the time, huh? To be a tall wizard with great knowledge of many magic? My, that is quite selfish and very unrealistic of you,”

Wizard harrumph and struck his staff down and points his nose high, “If this is about the lack of my siblings here, then I maybe a bit selfish to not include them,” he then looks down at the lamb and flicks the foot of his staff at the snout of the sheep-disguised jester, “but this is only one of the different dreams I repeatedly have. Some of which have both Strawberry Cookie and GingerBrave. After all, this is my dream,”

Rubbing his nose, Shadow Milk Lamb leers at the tall child and frowned before snorting and giggling almost mockingly, “However, that still doesn't remove the fact that you, a Cookie who is logical at most in magic, would've known what spell is fact and which is fiction. “Spell of Pretty, Handsome, and Fancy”? Ha-ha-ha-ha! Oh, the irony!”

Pure Vanilla Cookie, who had been all but forgotten, watches Shadow Milk Lamb laughing with mockery while Wizard Cookie growls with his visible eye twitching in annoyance. He decided to chime in now and firmly, despite the disadvantage with his voice, spoke in a tone that he poorly imitated from Dark Cacao Cookie.

“That is enough, Shadow Milk Cookie,”

The lamb stopped laughing, leered at the shepherd Cookie before tilting his head with an unsettling lip smile.

“Ya know what, ‘nilly, I think you're right,” as the two looked with confusion, he gave a grin full of sharp fangs that is horrifyingly wrong to see on a sheep, “I think we all have had enough of this scenery. So why don't we change that,”

It wasn't a question. And they are aware that Shadow Milk Cookie twisted the question.

Nevertheless, they watched as the lamb put one fore-hoof in its mouth, and started blowing. This caused the lamb body to start inflating like a balloon in comical speed and growth. Both Pure Vanilla Cookie and Wizard dumbly froze in place as they watched the giant thing grow larger and larger. Upon reaching the size that could cover the village, it began quivering and groaning before-

*KA-BOOOOM!!!!*

Like a giant bomb, it exploded onto their faces and flung them away with screams of shock. Clouds of blue smoke covered the area so thickly that it was impossible to see. Pure Vanilla Cookie coughs as he stands up and sees he is in his robe, his staff by his side. Still, he tries to navigate his way across the blue fog, calling out for Wizard Cookie.

“Wizard Cookie! Can you hear me?!” he yelled out. He shouted again and again, not getting a response.

Then, spotlights.

“L~adies and gentle-Cookies! May I, your oh so beloved host: Shadow Milk Cookie, introduce you to the gr~eatest magic show you will ever feast your eyes on~!”

The fog soon slowly dispersed to show a giant circus stage. All around the benches seats hundreds of cutouts of Cookies spectating the show. Audio tracks of a cheer riled as the spotlight on Pure Vanilla Cookie moved away as three more flickered up, all circling around the stage as the speakers blared once more.

“Everyone, get ready to cheer, because your number one magician and entertainer is finally here! Give a round of applause foooooor~” the lights soon spiraled to the center and a puff of blue smoke revealed- “Shadow Milk Cookie!!!!”

Lo and behold, the “crowd” “applaud” to the appearance of the mad jester, who bowed mockingly at the praise, “Thank you, thank you~. Oh, it is nice to be here,”

Before Pure Vanilla Cookie could comprehend it, he found himself sitting among the crowd. He was positioned right at the front, sitting on a throne with the letters “V.I.P.” etched overhead.

Back at the stage, the Beast of Deceit summoned his jester hat out of thin air and addresses the audience, “For my first magic trick, I will be pulling a fool out of the hat!”

His free hand dived inside and the next moment, he pulls out-

“Let me go, you snivelling snake!”

The Ancient Hero's eyes popped open as in Shadow Milk Cookie's grasp is a squirming Wizard Cookie who has returned to his true size. Around him, the “crowd” cheered and flowers were thrown to the jester's feet. The jester bowed while holding up the squirming Cookie by the scruff like a prized Cookiemal as the hat disappeared.

“Oh, you are all too kind,” Shadow Milk Cookie spoke with flattery, before straightening his pose, “now, for my second trick-”

“I cast Iron!”

Silence lingered in the air before Shadow Milk Cookie turned his head to the punt of a Cookie (who has his staff raised) in his hand and waved a finger at him.

“Silly-silly-Wizzy,” he mockingly scolded, a cocky smile stretched on his face as he stared at the small Cookie, “I'm the only one who can do magic here. And in my domain, there is no way any ridiculous spell you cast will pop out of nowhere… by the way, what in the Witch’s bum is-”

*PHLANG!!!*

Pure Vanilla Cookie, who is already watching with open eyes, felt his hand go up to his mouth in shock. Around him, the audience gasped… then uproarious laughter erupted.

Wizard Cookie was unceremoniously dropped on the floor as Shadow Milk Cookie's body froze in shock and paralyzed pain. The eyes on his hair's underside, wide eyes and expressing those two feelings, ever slowly looks to where the jester's head is.

All the eyes on the stage and spectators were staring at the large heavy iron pan that flattened the host's head from Cookie head to a nail's flathead. 

Slowly, Shadow Milk Cookie's hands reach up to the pan and get the object off of his head. Once done, he reaches up again and pulls his head up which stretches comically before popping back up. His eyeballs momentarily spin around before the jester shook off the dizziness and aghast looks at the short Cookie, who glares back defiantly.

“How did…but…What?!”

Wizard Cookie stood proudly, jeering at the jester, “What was that about you being the only one who can do magic?”

Shadow Milk Cookie growled with rage, before his expression shifted to his stage smile and addresses the crowd.

“Everyone, Mister Shorty here-”

“Hey!”

“-thinks he knows real magic. Why don't we show him what magic looks like,”

If his manic and predatory grin isn’t enough of a red flag to Pure Vanilla Cookie, then call him a fool. The Ancient Hero stands from his seat for only a second before he is pulled back by blue chains that shackle him in place.

The jester summoned his scepter and dramatically pointed it at Wizard Cookie, yelling out the young Cookie's magic words with a mocking wave of the scepter.

“Abra-Cookie-dabra~!”

Wizard Cookie barely got a word out before ribbons coiled around him from behind, before pulling him into a rectangular box where the lid closed shut. Heavy chains wrapped around the box like gift wrap, then was chucked into a thick layered vault where in a moment of glimpse Pure Vanilla Cookie saw an extreme amount of dynamite and TNT crates before it was sealed shut. Twirling to the audience before logic-defyingly bent backwards (towards Pure Vanilla Cookie's direction), he theatrically smiled with close eyes.

“For my next trick, I will make this fool…” he pauses, before his eyes popped open with a sharp grin, “ disappear ,”

A detonator box appeared next to him as a rope travelled all the way to the vault. With an eager grin, he twirled up the air before gracefully landing on and pressing the plunger handle.

An almost muffled “ BOOM! ” vibrated in the vault that inflated momentarily before deflating back to shape.

The “crowd” cheered.

Pure Vanilla Cookie stared in horror.

Shadow Milk Cookie cackles as he made one graceful leap to the vault. Turning the wheel, he happily unlocks it, not hiding the wide mouth open smile as he flings the door open and greets-

* FWOOOOOOOOOOOOohmm!! *

…

…

…

Another uproarious laugh echoed from the crowd as Shadow Milk Cookie, soot charcoal black, stood there frozen with a baffled frown and utterly dilated shocked eyes. It took a moment to horrifyingly realized one thing:

His mouth was, and still is, open.

“Eeeeuuuuuulgh!!!!!!” He gagged away as he summoned a bar of soap and starts scrubbing his tongue.

“He-he-he. Sowwy, friend,” says the giant Bear Jelly in the vault, its butt facing the gagging jester with a convenient candle between them.

Said candle is being held up by a proud and shameless Wizard Cookie wearing a gas mask.

At the stands, Pure Vanilla Cookie looks with both speechlessness, bafflement, and a certain level of recoiled disgust.

After the forty-seventh gurgle of mouthwash, Shadow Milk Cookie looks at the culprit with a purple face of rage and humiliation.

“What. The. Fuck. Was. That?!”

He did not bother to ask how the short Cookie survived. He had lost one too many patience on this Cookie.

Speaking of, Wizard Cookie simply removes the mask and tosses it away before staring at the jester with a smug look.

“A Fireball spell, fit for a fool like you,”

….

….

….

There is only one thought Shadow Milk Cookie had on his head on this mockery:

This…means… war .

There are certain ups and downs when Silent Salt Cookie’s warden is someone like Strawberry Cookie. Respect is many things, from space to strength. Another upside is potential: he never really thought of having to mentor some Cookie considering his background as the Beast of Silence, nor is the thought of having some kind of living legacy until now.

Though the one downside he finds is just something a bit irritating, in the form of a small contraption that constantly makes clicking noises.

“I said I was sorry,” Strawberry Cookie whispered as they were navigating the halls of the Faerie Kingdom’s castle, with the shy Cookie playing her console. The Faerie Cookies have been generous and kind to let them all sleep in spare bedrooms. While they did have concerns if it was a good idea to leave the young ones with the Beasts, it was rest assured that they can’t do anything… other than annoy them. Not that Silent Salt Cookie has any reason to.

Silent Salt Cookie does wonder if the other two were behaving around their wardens.

“I don’t really think of myself and my brothers as- Oh! Morning, Pure Vanilla Cookie,”

The knight took notice of the Hero of Truth upon hearing Strawberry Cookie saying the owner’s name as the hero came out of his bedroom. What met him and his warden was a slouched down, hair disheveled, and very out of character king who looked as if he had came back from a difficult babysitting quest. Even the eye on the flower was as tired.

“Huh?” the vanilla hero looked at them as his mismatch eye blinked, before giving a still sleepy smile, “Oh. Morning, Strawberry Cookie. Silent Salt Cookie,”

There was not a hint of cold hatred or malice when the Cookie greeted him, not even fear or any other sense. Nothing but warm, compassionate words. 

On second thought, from what Silent Salt Cookie knows, Pure Vanilla Cookie is always a kind passive one. But Silent Salt Cookie is certain something is up with how tired he sounds, and that lack of fear is an addition.

“Are you okay?” Strawberry Cookie questioned, having heard the knight’s thought of suspicion and deciding to be the speaker for both of them secretly, “You look… tired. Did you not get enough sleep?”

“No-no, nothing like that,” the vanillian sighed, rubbing his head, “It’s just….is Wizard Cookie awake?”

Silent Salt Cookie could feel his warden tensing up with worry and confusion.

“What-”

“You witch damn miscreant! I will not accept that a tree stump like you manages to defeat me in that magic duel!”

All eyes turned behind Strawberry Cookie and Silent Salt Cookie as walking down the hall was a smug Wizard Cookie ignoring the yelling eye on his staff’s candy.

“It ain’t my fault you lose the fight, Mister Sour Milk Cookie,” Wizard Cookie sassed.

“It’s Shadow Milk Cookie!”

The short Cookie simply ignored him as the two walked past the three Cookies who were watching them.

“...What…happened?” Strawberry Cookie asked, turning her attention to Pure Vanilla Cookie pensively. A statement that Silent Salt Cookie shared.

Pure Vanilla Cookie responded with an exasperated breath.

“A dream,”

Chapter Text

It is a nice early morning. Sun is shining, the grass is green, and it feels like a good time to do some good old trekking to start this beautiful day!

“Your optimism and positivity makes me wanna barf,” the cane strapped on the waist of the plain ginger-Cookie growled, smoking in anger with sounds of sizzling.

One would wonder how in Crispia GingerBrave manages to remain positive in such a situation, especially when he's the one who had been unfortunately paired with the Beast of Destruction. The very same Beast that can light ablaze and smells like ash and smoke that reminds him of…. that .

Not that Silverbell Cookie has to know.

The Faerie archer was accompanying him as a measure in case the Beast lit aflame again, carrying a fire extinguisher and some foam arrows in his belt as the two were walking (or flying for Silverbell Cookie) with baskets in the forest with a few other Faerie Cookies to collect some berries and herbs, as well as for meat jellies. This was supposed to be an assignment for Faerie Cookie scavengers and hunters and GingerBrave somehow heard of this and wanted to help out of nowhere. Initially, White Lily Cookie is against this until Silverbell offers to accompany him, which she relents.

Not without carrying said fire extinguisher. And yes, they know what it is and how it works. Even made their own.

Back to the two Cookies, they began filling up the baskets with whatever (with careful knowledge pointed out by the young archer) berries and certain others they find in shrubberies and trees. The young GingerBrave would chatter energetically and get flowing at times, sometimes getting a bit distracted momentarily. Other times were he would struggle to pick out a few stubborn ones, yelping and falling back when they suddenly gave out before raising his trophies up in victory, getting some eyerolls and chuckles from the scavengers.

A lot would admit that he's an outgoing little Cookie with a good spirit, though all of them would wonder if he was either being ignorant or trying to hide his discomfort of having to be the one to unwillingly and uncomfortably the too young of a ward of a Beast Cookie. Although…

* Fwoom! *

“Aaah! Why did you keep setting things on fire!?!”

“Silence, you pathetic-” * thwack! * “Ow!” * thwack! * “Ow!” * thwack! * “Stop using me to put out the damn fire!”

“Then what am I supposed to do?!”

“Those Faerie Cookies are literally carrying fire extinguishers!”

…

…

“Oh yeah,”

“ THIS IS LITERALLY THE SEVENTH TIME, YOU- ”

The Faerie Cookies wouldn’t lie. Seeing the Beast of Destruction being used as a fire whacker by the child while the latter keeps forgetting that they have fire extinguishers around is far too amusing to watch. One of them even brought a crystal that catches everything magically as well as can project a holographic record of everything in a 20 mile radius from its vicinity.

Silverbell Cookie was observing things differently however. In fact, he has been watching GingerBrave and the other two for a while, finding some off putting behaviors. Mercurial Knight Cookie had taught him to always observe even the slightest details of anything and anyone, from physical movements to behaviors to even the slight oddities of behaviors.

GingerBrave showed a few. The first was his face reflecting discomfort at the far too close contact with the blazing cane. It started back where GingerBrave started screaming when his cane got up to flames out of nowhere before panickingly making a mad dash to the river (whether or not the Cookie heard the yelling angry Beast Cookie or not). While he did calm down, there are still times he looked tense and scared of when his cane would combust. 

Another is how he acts a bit…autistic in a sense. Silverbell Cookie knows ADHD and its meaning. He had read it in one of the books by chance and found interest in them. Some of the younger faerie Cookies in the Silver Kingdom show certain signs of it. By the Witches, he is glad that the faerie Cookies knows how to care for such cases.

Back to GingerBrave, the Cookie had been an uncontainable bundle of hyperactivity hard to maintain in one place. He had seen how said Cookie would abruptly start conversations to anyone close (including the Beast Cookie much to the prisoner's dismay), either be it a random subject or a curiosity. GingerBrave would also start running and moving every second, looking like he can't sit still. When he does sit still, there were times he would tap his foot or adjust his grip on his cane, among a few others.

Now, there is one last thing he had found out through something he and a selected lot of Faerie Cookies can see: Life Energy. Silverbell Cookie mostly keeps this to himself and a certain few like Elder Faerie and Mercurial Knight Cookie, considering such capability is uncommon to rare in the kingdom. He had learned to concentrate and minimize the senses to avoid mental overload as well as blindness when he told the former guardian about this.

When he sees Cookies, they tend to look like outlines with a light varying from a warm small candle to a blinding lumen. Said light is the Life Energy in their body. Those are found not only in Cookies, but even in some natural Earthbread lifeforms. Common Cookies hold that candlelight warmth. Ancient Cookies like White Lily Cookie and Pure Vanilla Cookie, as well as those close in their level, shine like a bright light in the darkest night.

GingerBrave and his siblings are brighter than that. It was like staring far too close to the sun, you can barely see the Cookie's outline. It was absurd, so much that Silverbell Cookie needed contacts specially that helps majorly against such intensity of light. Such a shine had Silverbell speechless as there had only been a single category of Cookies that has this:

Witch-baked Cookies.

Silverbell Cookie was actually nervous and ecstatic about this. He had heard stories of Cookies baked by The Witches, but never met one before. If only he could ask them, but he digresses.

He glances at GingerBrave, who was helped by one of the Faeries to put out the fire of both a shrubbery and the angry cane. The enthusiastic and happy attitude the plain Cookie brings is almost contagious. A small part of him envies his nature, wishing he could just lay down his bow and be as care-free as the Cookie. Again, he digresses the thought.

Focusing on his vision senses, he turned his head away to scout the surroundings, where he activates his senses and observes the area around them. He can see a few meters away some lights going around, already identifying them to be the Yeast-Spores with how a lot of their movements tend to nod up and down as they float. He had noticed some Turnip-Rabbits from a far, a small number of Jelly Tardigrades, and-

Silverbell Cookie blinked and squinted his eyes as he saw a large amount of Life Energy moving around the forest, but it was too far for his vision to fully image. But he knows one thing: it looks wrong . The Life Energy of whatever that is was unstable, erratic, and most of all, undying. Silverbell Cookie swears he could see the writhing essence constantly and agonizingly deforming and reforming.

He needs to report this to the Guardian. He needs to-

“Hey, Silverbell Cookie!”

The Faerie Cookie turned his head in response-

“You called, GingerbRWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!”

-and remembered then and there that he left the contacts back at his quarters.

“I don’t know what happened but I’m so sorry, Silverbell Cookie!”

GingerBrave is at the medical wing back at the Faerie Kingdom, where Silverbell Cookie is sitting up one of the beds with his eyes wrapped around by bandages for a duration of time. Accompanying them were Mercurial Knight Cookie, the two Ancient Heroes, Strawberry Cookie, and Wizard Cookie.

Currently, the plain Cookie was bowing his head repeatedly and apologetically, hands clasped together, on the left side of the bed. Considering he had caused the Faerie Cookie archer to go blind. He didn’t even question how that happened, but still apologized nonetheless. In his hand, of course, was his cane. An angry, nauseous cane.

“Stop shaking me, you brat!”

“It’s fine, GingerBrave,” Silverbell Cookie reassures him, though he was facing the opposite side and was helped by Mercurial Knight Cookie to turn his head to face the right direction, “I guess this is consequences for being underprepared and forgetting the…. thing ,”

“Still, how did this happen?” Pure Vanilla Cookie frowned with confusion.

“Silverbell Cookie has a hidden ability to see all lifeforms like Cookies and creatures in the form of bodies of light,” Mercurial Knight Cookie responded, rather quick but stoically composed, “However, he had forgotten to put on his contact lenses which protects his eyes from being blinded in a very close distance. Just like how he didn’t anticipated GingerBrave’s light without the contacts,”

Silverbell Cookie sheepishly chuckles while scratching his cheek, inwardly thankful for Mercurial Knight Cookie’s coverup. It's not a full lie, but not the entire truth either.

Meanwhile, GingerBrave was looking with shining eyes of astonishment. He never thought things would get any cooler around the Faerie Kingdom, yet here is Silverbell Cookie and his vision powers.

“So cool,” he breathed out.

Wizard Cookie was looking with curiosity, wanting to ask so many questions about how it works. Of course, the nagging eye on his staff made a comment that soon made the duo start bickering to one another. The two Ancients were watching with worry, not sure what to think of this…well, White Lily Cookie is the one worried. Pure Vanilla Cookie just slumped his shoulders as he already knew where this bickering was going. After all, why would they be talking of a magic showdown?

Strawberry Cookie was glancing a long stare at his lollipop, where the foggy image of the knight was showing. Eerily, she was very quiet.

White Lily Cookie took notice of this and called out, “Strawberry Cookie?”

“EYES!”

Everyone in the room looked at her with a spooked expression, even Silverbell Cookie was facing her direction. Strawberry froze there like a statue, whatever visible skin under her hood went a shade of pink out of embarrassment. After a few seconds, she brought a fist to her mouth (?) and let out an awkward cough.

“S-Sorry. I was meant to ask,” she took a few exercised breathings (Wizard Cookie wondered how she knows about those) before trying to recompose herself, anxiously playing with the string of her hoodie, “Do all Faeries have hidden abilities like Silverbell’s eyes?  Y-you do not have to answer it,”

Mercurial Knight Cookie narrowed his eyes at her, making the shy Cookie squeak and sealed her hoodie shut. The Faerie knight then turned his attention to the lollipop, where his gaze met the growing purple stare.

“...It’s a rare occurrence,” Mercurial Knight Cookie finally said, dropping his intimidating gaze, “And such capabilities are, indeed, classified to only us Faerie Cookies, especially those of high ranks like mine and Silverbell Cookie’s,”

Strawberry Cookie’s posture relaxes as she re-opens her hoodie enough to visibly show her eyes, “S-sorry if I asked a question you’re not allowed to answer,”

“Oh wow!” if GingerBrave’s eyes weren’t sparkling enough, they were now shining like stars as he was bouncing in place in excitement, “Hearing all of this makes me want to explore this kingdom more than anything!”

Silverbell Cookie finds himself unable to hold down his smile, infected by GingerBrave’s happy atmosphere.

“And who would’ve thought, Silverbell’s vision powers are more awesome than I ever imagined!”

And now his cheeks are getting flustered by the praise.

“If I could ever have a bow of my own, I would like to be an archer like Silverbell Cookie!”

Dear Witches, if this goes on, Silverbell Cookie might die of-

* Fwoooosh! *

“What the-”

“Woah!”

“By the stars, GingerBrave!?!”

“My word,”

“How…”

“....wow,”

Silverbell Cookie felt an odd sense of silence around him. He could feel a tense atmosphere, but one of confusion rather than danger. 

Finally, someone spoke.

“...FINALLY!! Something way better than that stupid, lanky cane!” the voice of GingerBrave’s sealed Beast laughed.

“What happened?” Silverbell Cookie couldn’t contain his confusion and decided to ask.

“...GingerBrave’s cane… turned into a giant archer bow… about a tad bigger than your own, Silverbell Cookie,” Mercurial Knight Cookie spoke, sound befuddled.

“...What?” was the only response the Faerie archer can say.

“Aw man, but I like my old cane,” the saddened voice of GingerBrave reached his ears.

* Fwoooosh! *

“Hey, my cane’s back!” an instant 180 degrees was heard from the plain Cookie.

Of course, this also changed the Beast’s mood.

“ SON OF A- ”

Chapter Text

Pure Vanilla Cookie watches from a small balcony as the Blueberry Bird soars away with the three letters he sent away for his three fellow heroes he called friends. He sighed tiredly, tempted to slump on the railing and just slack down like a soaked robe on a clothesline.

It’s already been a week and 4 days since he and the young ones got here in Beast Yeast, found the Faerie Kingdom, reunited with White Lily Cookie, and the events that led to three Beasts sealed in the weapons of the three young Cookies. And it has been six nights of dream fights between Wizard Cookie and Shadow Milk Cookie.

He remembered how it started when he first slept and was reliving the memory of his child days as a little shepherd. The memory of tending Cream Lambs on the meadow of his old home. He remembered searching one of his little lambs and found them a few distance away from the herd.

He approached the lamb and….felt the world ripple the moment he got close. 

The next moment, he and the lamb were a few minute walks away from a village he did not remember being there.

Even the lamb was vocally baffled by it. Not in the form of a bleat, but in the form of Shadow Milk Cookie's voice.

Then the “Cakes” came and started ransacking the village. The Cookies are…dramatically in panic.

It soon became clear when Wizard Cookie came…looking a little taller than his real self. And the rest became history there.

Pure Vanilla Cookie never anticipated a dream share to happen, nor for it to become constant in the following nights. As well as not expecting things to get crowded temporarily.

He remembered it clearly to be the fifth night, where both Wizard Cookie and Shadow Milk Cookie were tied two-to-two.

Fifth Night - Dreamscape

Another night…

* Krack-khoooom! *

Another dream fight.

Pure Vanilla Cookie just sat at the sidelines at this point, sitting on a chair in a large barrier as it pointlessly got hit by a stray lightning bolt. Courtesy of Wizard Cookie.

“Hah!” Wizard Cookie’s voice exclaimed pridefully in the air, riding on the hand of a giant version of himself that is made out of compressed light and white sugar, “How do you like that, you blotch of spoiled milk- YIKES!” the short Cookie ducks as a giant stalactite of ice with literal thrusters zoomed over his head, almost missing his hat.

On Shadow Milk Cookie’s end, he had gone up and beyond with a giant serpent that looked like it was, by literal sense, compacted and welded out of unholy amounts of colorful shards of glass in ways that makes it look like a mosaic nightmare and an epileptic hazard. And a magic hazard.

Because every time it opens its maw, it shoots out chaotic and unpredictable things from a yellow orb with a wide maw continuously chomping like the head of a hand puppet (Pure Vanilla Cookie was confused why it was making that odd ‘ waka-waka ’ sound) to a barrage of bubbles….that explodes with, in Shadow Milk Cookie’s words, “surprises that are to die for”. Which includes acid, spikes, fire, et cetera - et cetera.

“What was it you said two nights ago, Wizzy?” the Cookie jester on top of the monster leaned forward with his head turning 180, eyes looking away in mockful thinking, “Something about “liking trains” ?”

The snake’s maw opened wide, and a bronze and starry purple locomotive came shooting out and whistling its horn towards the Titan Wizard Cookie. Wizard Cookie's giant leaned to dodge, but still got grazed on the temple, which produced a harsh grinding sound that made Wizard Cookie cover his ears in a flinch before waving his staff to produce a pair of mufflers around his head.

Pure Vanilla Cookie, watching the whole playthrough with his staff ready to heal if anyone gets hurt, jumped a bit when the sound of the train crashing a few inches from his spot spooked him a bit. Even in dreams, he is still a tad frightful of being hit by these things, but he had (somewhat) got used to it.

“Uuuugh…”

Though, he did not expect it to hear a moan of pain coming from the train itself as he looked at the turned-over train lying on its right side showing its undercarriage as puffs of smoke steamed out from the thing with scattered pipes, gears, and…clouds and star-shaped objects?

Now, it is not unusual to find nameless Cookies or familiar faces in the dreamscape. The thing about them is that they are images made from memories and imagination. What is unusual is having one in a dream fight that Shadow Milk Cookie decided to be, in his own words, “The lesser the audience, the lesser he gets distracted,”. Which is, in Wizard Cookie’s opinion, a hypocrisy in itself considering the jester is an audience seeker.

The comment was replied with a pie in the face.

Seeing a figure coming around, he looks as from out of the corner stumbles-

‘ Is that a child?! ’

Dizzy-dancing around was a small cookie who’s as white as snow with a twinkling polish like a shining pearl. Her overlength cream-tails sway around as they tizzy, the large conductor’s hat tittering and slipping around but remains on their head. Arms were waving the oversized sleeves of her far too large black trench coat as she somehow remain in hold of a vuvuzela that is white on the head of the horn while the rest down to the mouthpiece are black, a gold strap rope can be seen with secured loops near both ends of the instrument.

“A-all passengers, please exit the train in a calm and orderly fashion,” Pure Vanilla Cookie watches the Cookie tips and twirls like a drunkard, “Thank you for choosing the Sugarcloud Express and safe….travels,”

Saying those words with a twirl, she unceremoniously toppled and flopped face first.

Pure Vanilla Cookie, being the kind and at times unknowingly parental adult, rushed forward as the battle continued at the sidelines.

…He will have to talk to Wizard Cookie after this when the corner of his eyes witnesses the titan physically Cookie-handled the snake with its own arms…as well as the child going in and (with really, really, sharp rows of teeth) literally starts biting Shadow Milk Cookie’s head off. It’s concerning. It really is. 

If this were to happen in real life, he’d be very concerned. But this is a dreamscape, so Shadow Milk Cookie (who is a staff in the waking world while having his body in the dream world) will be fine.

“PURE VANILLA COOKIE! TELL OFF YOUR VICIOUS KID TO STOP SINKING HIS TEETH THROUGH MY SKULL!”

He’ll be fine.

Well this is not how Milky Way Cookie thought her shift would turn out today. But then again, it is not unwelcoming.

Now whe~re to start?

Ah yes. It all started when she was doing her usual (sleep-inducing) work: ticket inspecting, operating the train, going about every cabin either just to talk around(…or make mental points of possible sleeping areas to nap on), and making sure all passengers get to their desired destinations and have an  enjoyable trip.

It was pretty nice these past few months, especially after the whole Cosmic Doughnut Event. There had been no signs of Dr. Evilglaze since then. Space Doughnut had been at ease for a long time, with Stardust Cookie being there as the duo were exploring the vast universe. Time to time, they would come over and converse with Milky Way Cookie, sometimes helping out in the caboose.

Though it does lead to shenanigans that gets them three into trouble with Aurora Candy Cookie lecturing about this, but those were far and inbetween.

A~nyways, she was in the driver's cabin as usual, blowing the horn and choo-chooing to the next destination.

Then she was met with a vortex that separated the train to the cars. Before everything starts shaking and throwing her all around. In her desperation, she gripped the whistle blower as she felt weightless, then her ears went a bit deaf at the awful scraping sound, then-

* Crash! *

She was disoriented when she got out via the ceiling hatch (which broke off of its hinges) of the train.

Her brain was out of it for a while before gravity pulled her downfront and darkness came over her.

She didn't know how long she was unconscious for, but when she starts waking up….

“Are you alright?”

She finds herself resting on a bed (‘ cozy, want to sleep more ’) with her hat placed beside her as she, in the middle of some kind of vast void with a vanilla-cream Cookie in waffle robes and a pointed crowned waffle hat. In his arm is a staff with an eye at the center of its flower. There is also some kind of see-through yellow dome around them, which made the small conductor wonder for a second-

“...aaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAA- ” * Thomp! *

-then stared at a blue jester Cookie go flatly pressed onto the other side of the dome, smushed by a giant snake. Another second passed before both the snake and Cookie were snagged and hurled to somewhere else by…

Huh. Now where had she seen that short Cookie..?

“Oh, don't mind Shadow Milk Cookie and Wizard Cookie. This is a normal occurrence,” the Cookie with her spoke kindly (which Milky Way Cookie now remembered), “Still, what is a child like you-”

Oh. He did not just call her that.

She then shoved her sleeve to his mouth to silence him before looking at him with a stern (still adorable) look.

“ Aaaand I am stopping you right there, pal,” she frowned in annoyed offense, with drowsy shut eyes, “Firstly, I'm not a child. Sure, child-size but age wise I am a lot older than you think. Secondly, I have a name and it's Milky Way Cookie. Dream Express conductor and driver of the Sugarcloud Express train-"

Her words came to a halt as her body seized up on a horrified realization, before her now open bright purple eyes slowly gazed to the Cookie she's talking to.

“Where's my train?”

The vanilla Cookie (she assumes he is) could not speak with a mouth full of sleeve, but the staff's eye darted to the right behind her. She followed the gaze and saw…

“...I just had that polished,” was all she could weakly say, the sleeve covering the taller Cookie's mouth dropped down back to her side as she stared at the evidently bruised, right side's smooth surface now scratched, piles of gears and pipes jutting out from the locomotive, and the clouds pouring out like oil leaking out from a tank, “Aurora Candy Cookie is going to kill me,”

She then felt a gentle hand pat her shoulder as she glances to see the Cookie that is with her give a reassuring smile, “Don't be sad. I am sure we can still fix it-”

“MEGA MAGIC MISSILE!”

“REFLECTUM DEFLECTUS!”

The shouts got their attention as they see the giant snake fire out an oversized angry violet bullet of magic soaring towards Wizard Cookie's titan whom made a barrier that deflected the attack back to the jester and his ginormous beast.

Before Milky Way Cookie's eyes, the snake (and the jester) ducks flat to the floor

Before Milky Way Cookie's eyes, the missile went past the jester's head.

Before Milky Way Cookie's eyes, the attack was heading towards her train.

Before Milky Way Cookie's eyes…

* BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!!!! *

…

…

….

Nothing but a single shard of the train's front plate clattered to a stop outside the yellow dome. As well as a portable walkie-talkie.

[* bzzzt! * Hello?! Milky Way Cookie, can you read me!? * bzzt! * This is Aurora Candy Cookie. Your train's signature just went cold, while the cars are left stranded without a locomotive to move it! * bzzt! * You better respond back, because this is unlike you and I know you well enough to not leave cars of passengers without a train to operate, even if you leave the operation to passengers!]

….

….

….

Wordlessly, with her hat back on and tipped down, shadowing her eyes, she went through the barrier (Pure Vanilla Cookie giving her a door to go through) and picked up the object.

“Milky Way Cookie to Aurora Candy Cookie, this is Milky Way Cookie,” she spoke monotonously and lowly, “My train was transported to an unfamiliar dreamscape with three shared occupants. Two of them were the cause of my train's destruction and all that is left of it was a piece of the front plating,”

She then turned to the Cookie (whom she had not gotten the name yet) and gave the radio, “I am with the third occupant who is willing to fill you up with the situation more clearly than I do,” after handing it, she turned to the direction of the two Cookies responsible who are still fighting, “Please do send out a rescue and some medical staff,”

[Medical staff?! * bzzt! * Are you hurt?!] That was a rare case, she thought, as it has been a while since she heard Aurora Candy Cookie being worried for her wellbeing.

Still, she responded with a dark chuckle, grinning not-so-friendly as she adjusts her hat up with one sleeve while holding her instrument with the other.

“Don't worry, Aurora Candy Cookie,” if the Cookie that helped her could see it, they would see her eyes gleaming, craving for vengeance and pain .

“ The aid is not for me, ”

Thirty minutes, Pure Vanilla Cookie remembered. It took thirty minutes that dream night for the Aurora Candy Cookie fellow to come. And a previous twelve minutes to explain what was going on that time.

It was an equal of fourty-two minutes of Milky Way Cookie becoming a nightmare to the two culprits of her annihilated train.

He does feel sorry for Shadow Milk Cookie and Wizard Cookie that night. The morning after, poor Wizard Cookie was shivering and greatly failing to suppress his tears as he locked himself away in his quarters. It took until sunset to get him out thanks to GingerBrave and Strawberry Cookie. They did also sought for him when it was a bit of a struggle. The next two days were him being comforted before returning to his normal self the next day.

On the other hand, Shadow Milk Cookie had this long distant stare after that experience with Milky Way Cookie. He had been silent, very uncomfortably silent, for those days before getting back to his feet.

In which the Beast Cookie starts to devise some plans in case she comes back. This was responded with a few bashes to the floor by Wizard Cookie who fearfully does not want to get the conductor Cookie's bad side. Adding the threat of letting Strawberry Cookie hammer the sentient staff like how she uses her lollipop, Shadow Milk Cookie soon behaved.

Strangely enough, after the fifth night, Pure Vanilla Cookie had been able to have his personal sleep without sharing a dreamscape with those two. It was nice…

Yet it feels….empty in some ways. 

“Maybe I should check on them today,” he thought, rubbing his chin, “Just to make sure Young Wizard Cookie and Shadow Milk Cookie are doing alright,”

He turned and left the balcony, passing by a silver flower bud on a vine tangled on the balcony railing.

He did not notice it blooming.

Nor did he not noticed the blue eye at the center of its surrounding petals, watching him.

Before a stray arrow of flames burns it to a crisp.

“GingerBrave!”

“Ah! Sorry, Silverbell Cookie and Mercurial Knight Cookie! Hopefully I did not hit anyone or anything important by accident,”

Chapter Text

Breathe in…

Breathe out…

She sat on a flat rock, crossed legs, arms on her knees, eyes shut as she zones off anything but the sounds of her own heartbeat and breathing. Her siblings found it perplexing to see her doing meditations, which she was a bit flustered of. But she had managed to calm herself that time.

She shook her head a little to clear the memory off and refocus.

Breathe in…

Breathe out…

The cool breeze whistles through the trees around her, leaves rustle as they sway. The area was mostly an open space with the occasional sounds of Spores bouncing and the buzzing of faint Faerie wings somewhere. But she dismisses those as she hones to one single noise coming from the trees, the sound of a heavy body bounding towards her location.

Breathe in…

Breathe out…

She keeps her mind clear off and empties it of the anxieties and worries, seeking nothing but tranquil silence and focus. She pushes down the tension of her dough, steadying her beating heart. She keeps herself calm, steady,…

Breathe in…

ready

Breathe-

to

“Strawberry Cookie, look out!!”

-strike.

* SCREEEEEEEEEEK!!!! *

“She did….what?”

White Lily Cookie does not blame the Silver Faerie acting as her advisor as they stared speechlessly as the hunting group stood before her by the borders between the forest and the kingdom. Among the group was Strawberry Cookie who nervously plays with the hoodie straps, eyes finding the ground beneath her foot more interesting.

The Ancient Cookie did not make any effort to hide her glance at the giant carcass of a Jelly Tardigrade behind the hunting group.

“Strawberry Cookie single-handedly took out the Tardigrade before we could even act to rescue her in what we rightfully thought is a dangerous situation,” The Hunter Faerie in charge repeated, facially stoic with eyes reflecting his tired posture, “May my team be dismissed now, Guardian?”

“Yes, you may,” White Lily Cookie composedly gave the permission, her eyes still at the body of the beast they had returned with, “And do bring the current catch to the cuttery,”

It is still a big bafflement to her that Strawberry Cookie, the shy little child that mostly makes herself invisible, has such absurd strength. And a very absurdly heavy lollipop.

They respectfully bowed and turned to the Tardigrade, about to approach and take it when the advisor raised their voice towards one young Cookie.

“Except for you, Strawberry Cookie. You have done enough by taking out and bringing the Jelly Tardigrade to the borders all single handedly. And may I remind the group that she is initially only allowed to help with lighter tasks,”

White Lily Cookie ignored the groans coming from the hunters as her eyes now focused on the shy Cookie with slight attention, reminding herself that yes, that is what she told Strawberry Cookie. She watches as Strawberry Cookie gives a quick “sorry” to the hunters (White Lily Cookie is most definite that her advisor is going to give them a stern scolding for child labor. The child already carried the thing with one hand, literally) before walking beside the Ancient. White Lily Cookie could feel the gaze of the Beast in Strawberry Cookie's lollipop strapped on the child's back, though hostility wasn’t present. She turned around before walking back to the kingdom, already feeling Strawberry Cookie walking next to her. Her advisor decided to flutter by the hunting group, supervising and most likely keeping an eye on them.

The two Cookies walk in silence, only responding to the greetings of passerby Faeries. It had been about two weeks since the whole event and the children had been doing alright, even with the involvement of the Beast Cookies. It became a normal sighting to see the children with the Beast-sealed weapons. White Lily Cookie took a glance at the child next to her, seeing Strawberry Cookie gazing at her sealed Beast. The Guardian said nothing, having already been aware of one of the few little quirks Strawberry Cookie gained from being the warden of the Beast like the rest of the children. Even GingerBrave as he turned out to have gained great resistance to Burning Spice Cookie's heat along with the weapon-shifting, much to Burning Spice Cookie's displeasure upon first discovery. But this still brings discomfort at the thought of the kids having to constantly be around them. Wizard Cookie…still has yet to show signs. Pure Vanilla Cookie did told her about the dream share, but nothing beyond that.

She pauses when the shy Cookie and the Silent Beast come to mind and she turns her head back to Strawberry Cookie's imprisoned Beast. A certain unusual dream experience had left her terrified to heart, and an unusual thought of Silent Salt Cookie in a different matter.

Four Days Ago - White Lily Cookie's Dreamscape.

The first thing she feels around her is the constant cold and submerged wetness followed by a mechanical humming that echoes all around her and an intense heat that is stronger than a dragon's fire ( why does it feel familiar? ). She feels the sense of claustrophobic and weightlessness as her surroundings give off the foreboding sense of being encased. Then there is her body, far too different and beyond discomforting, bubbling and contorting agonizingly, as something about it feels heavy, or what she is wearing (and molding) is heavy. 

Then there was her Soul Jam. It hums on her chest ( why is it on her chest? ), humming with an energy that feels wrongly different. It felt suffocating, parasitic, like tainted roots crawling under her very dough . They shrivel her tender (too tender), uncooked skin like hot iron, pushing deeper that she feels her dough caving in from its form before inflating back to shape, a process that continues constantly and slowly, burning her sufferably as the pain shows no evidence on stopping its anguish flow.

She was known among her comrades as the frail one, more susceptible to injuries than Pure Vanilla Cookie, but this pain is far beyond everything she had experienced. Even from her rebake. Her mind and core wanted to scream, or squirm, but every bit of her body won't seem to obey. Limbs to doughy inflating, deflating, and popping muscles remain stiff and petrified as she is forced to feel this uncomfortable pain in the darkness.

Her heart feels with fear and confusion at first, asking herself why her Soul Jam was afflicting such pain, but soon found such thought impossible. Her Soul Jam would never, in its Virtue, bring pain to her, especially after everything she knew about them. Then why? Why was it giving off such malicious energy? Are the Witches behind all this?

“Ughh! I cannot believe that stupid Pomegranate Cookie!”

She felt, without control, her head slowly turned to the unidentified complaining voice. She felt, without control, her eyes open up. Her eyes stayed frozen, staring emptily through the two slits of what is covering the front of her face. 

That is when she realized, with great appalled recognition, that the slits are exactly the same slits on the helm of Silent Salt Cookie. Inside a tube filled with fluid that smells of heavy salt.

What is going on here?

“The audacity to call me and my Necromancy a bigger hoax than that Matcha Cookie! As if Dark Enchantress Cookie’s favorite pet cannot seem to run out of ways to rub salt on my wound!” the unknown speaker got her attention back as she took notice of a pale Cookie in licorice cloak while stomping around with a scythe on his back.

Then her mind reeled back when she realized he just said her evil half’s name, adding more questions on where she is and what-

(-̷̧̫̠̩̣̙̳͓̯̥̯̮̑̈̃̉a̴̢̧̻͎̬̞̤̺̙͔̺͍͙̮̜̿̒̓́͌̽͆͑͒̂̀̚̚ ̸͚͐̉̂̿̑ľ̶͕̹͖̗͎̞͛̒̒͑͘o̷͔̗̙̪̘͚̺̳̤̩͖͚̞̩̣̗̾̂́́̒̓͘u̷̧̮̲̼͕̮̲̿̈̃͛̏̀͂͝d̵̙̬͚̘̗̯͉͖̫̣̫̾̔̃̒̓̇̍̉̅̈́̾̕m̸̡̢̡̯͕̥̤̂͐̔͊͒̌̕͠͝͝ō̵̧̠̖͖͔͕͋̅͝u̵̧̺͖͎̹̎͑̒͑́͋̌̐͑̈́̎̈͗̕̕̕͠t̴̩͑̉͒̊͌̍̾͛̏̾̾͛͘̚͠ḩ̴̞̮̲̜͉͗̎͒̐͆ ̵̧̗̠̮̪̦̬̭̱̩̏͐̓̒̈̃͆̒̽͗͒̿̒̽̚͜͜͜͠t̵̢͕̼̤̳̙͚̆̑̈́̏̐͌̽͋̑͝ͅh̴̟̣̙͍̱̔̚͜͝ͅȧ̶̢̨̰̼͖̝̫̪̼̤̘̮̼͎̻͔̀͒͛͒̃̓̇͜ţ̷̛͚̲͎͇͕̈̂̈́̇̒̀͛̾̓̈́̂̾̍́̚ ̷̢̩̻̖̟̣͕̽̎̽̈́̓͆͒̃̈́̈́̋͂͌͂̽͝f̴̢̧̧̳̳̲͎͕͖̺̩̠̱̝́̈́̓̑͊̆̇͐͊͐̓͗̚͠r̷̹̗̰̦̬͍̠̘̱̤̱̫͔̥̕ͅȁ̷̢̡̛͍̫͖̻̦͗i̷̢̲̞͎͓̜̦̹̱͎̮̜̅̃͆͒́́̿́̀͝͝͠l̷̺̥̮̬͐̉̀̊̉ ̴̨̛͍̹̙͈͔̹̋̇́̋C̶̡̟͇̹̣̖̺̳̘̮̈̽̃̿͒͋͜o̵̢͙̻͓̙̭͙͓͋͌̌͑̉͋͒̍̓̒͒̂̌͝o̵̡̧̥̞̼͎̟̩̜̙̥͈̩̳͇̗̎ͅk̸̢̧̢͎̼̭̭̫͑́̽̿̃̕ḯ̴̳͚̞̮̥͉̥̖̯̣̉̆̐͘͝͝ͅę̴͖͎̻̮̼̩͖̬͗͛̿̓͐̌͜͝ͅͅ ̷̡̬͙͖̯̗͉͍̼̮̰͉̮̺̊í̴̱̻̪̂́̕͝ş̴͖̳͙̜͙̱̝̪̬͔̹̰̱̏̈́̄͆̅̽̀̍̓̄͌̓̕̚͝͝,̵̡̥͎̝̲̞̗̞̙͉̖̞͔̘̎̄̕)

-is happening-

She froze up to a halt, a wave of terror hitting her when she realized that something momentarily overlapped her own thoughts. It felt, not sounded, cold, separate, overwhelming with a null sense of emotions, empty…yet unspeakably alive.

Her mind spiralled even as the Cookie outside rants.

“She thinks she is oooh sooo special because she’s Dark Enchantress Cookie’s prodigy, ” the Cookie gags almost literally, then yelling up at the ceiling to no one but certainly indicating to someone, “Why don’t you lick her feet while you’re at it!”

White Lily Cookie tries to keep herself calm, but-

(-̸̫̺͇̳͙͓̮̫̺̗͌̾͛̄̈́͊͋̊̽͛͊͂͒͂̈́͝n̵̨̧͎̯̯͇̣̰̺̦͒̿̎̒̆͌͐̑̏͌̓͑̃̉͝ớ̶̤̟͍̮̠̘̫̟͚̲͙͆t̴̲̖͙͓͎̻͓̩̹̖̦̠̦͂̈́̀̅̍̒͑͗͗̀͠h̸̨̫̯̺̳̙͇̻̰̯̼͎̆̌̀́̒͌̀̌̋̆̆͘i̵̧̻̮͔̞͕͓̬̹͇͈͋͐̀͗́̉̈́̊͑̆͘͘n̷̢͔͎͖̙͖̲̣̩̣͈̺̘̼̞̞̅̔̿͝g̵̨͉͈͎̖̥̹̟̑̊̍̏́̄́͐̀͊̄̔͘͘̕͘͜ ̴͉̲̘̜͋̈̑̊͆̾̇́̀ǎ̸̰̼̞̜̦͉͙͐̈̂͑́͒͋͒̐͊͛͘ ̸̢̧̟͖̱͖̯̭̹̼͕̬͕̘̺̻̑̅́͛̇̽̒͐̋͑͐͒̈́͊͝l̸̢̢͇̬͈̠̪̰͇̭̞̮̀̋̀̔͜ͅͅi̶̩̾̃̿̏͒̚͝t̴̫̭͙̲͔͚̮̐͋̌́̀̋̎̔̅͌̿̈́̎͆̚͠t̷̡̨̛̥̗́̾͛́̃̓̒͒͛͌̚͝l̴̺̤͎͍͍̟̋̍̂́̈́͝è̴̮͇̯̲͎͖̩̠̥̯̀͌̊̑̄͌̕͘ ̶̰̿̈́̔͛̽͆̊̈͘ͅt̴̢̡͔͓̥̪̖̱͍͖͔̼̯͔̏͒̉̆̇w̴̡͈̯̭̩̻͈͎̘͇̐ͅẻ̴͉͔̰̲̼͔̰̊̾̓̃̇̓̓͌ą̸̩̬̻̭̯̻̙͚͔̳̮̰͎̮̠̠͒͊̅̒̈́k̶̟̖̻̼̞̪͔̆̀̈ị̸͓̞̟̬̗͎̲̰͔̖̔͑̄̐̓n̵̡̨̡̧̢̤͎̗̠̬̠͓͍̠̲͉̑̑̊̇͋͌̊̓͗́̀͝͝g̶̡̟̟̰̝̝̮̗̹̜̥͊͛͆̓͆͋͐̇̌̑͑̅̈́͝͝ ̸̱̻̦̤̯̃̓̈́͆̾̔͗̕͜͝w̵̘̬̹̬̗͍̲̅̂͛͂͆͛͐͑̾̋͠ͅǫ̵̡̧̢̘̥͚͚̹̼̠̝̠̝̫̅̒̓̍͑̽̍̋̚͠n̴̢̡͇̦͇̘͕̪̺̑̉̇̈̓͋̿̌̄'̶̢͔̬͖̤̦̪̖̙̰̳̹̬̬̪͔̯͆t̷̢̛̩̙̖̤͙̣̰̗͖͊͑̆̿̃̀̍͂̃̒̋̿͝͠͝ ̵̢̡̛̺̙̗̰̩̩͉̠̰̜̰̯̝̆͋́͑̽͊̈́̈́́̚̕ͅͅf̶̛̳̳͇͖͍̭͔͕̘̮̤͚̠͓̙̙̿̄͗͗̆̀̒̀̊̐̔̓̌̉͝͝ĭ̵̹̫̣̖̥͊x̷͈̜̙̘̀̈́̄̿͐̊̈́͒͌̉́̽͜͝ ̸̲̞͉̱͚̣̝͇̮̰̩̖̈́͒́̈́̂̄͆̇͑̕s̵̺͕̝̘̹͚̘̖̯̝͊̓̏̒̒͛̆̈͑̒̒̀̂̕͜͝ͅu̵̧̪̰̘̺̺̙̯̅̃̃̈́͌̆̈́̏̈̉̆͂͊͐͌̚͜͝ç̶̧̰̳̳͓̭͈̩̬̺̹̖̋́̑̓̓̈͐̐̊̎̊͂̾͆͝͝͠ḩ̵̢̛̱̲͇̜̭̤̩͈͙̮̰̝́͊̀̎́̀͑̈́̚̕̕͘̚͜͝ͅ ̶̻̦̝̺̜̞̎̄̀͊͋̓́ơ̸̡̛̬̞̱̲̼̺̯͍̣̘̒̉̄̀̾̅̋̚b̶̡̛̝̯̱̙͈̣͎̠̜̳̭̖̖̝ͅṉ̷͖̼̭̓̋̇̽̐̈́̽̈̈̏̋̋̒̚͝͝ͅơ̷̡̝̼̮͇̠̖̑̒̈̀̓̓̄̆́͜x̸̧̛̺͙̻̹̺͔̣̥͓̝̅̓̆̐͋͘̚͠i̵̤̳̼͔̺̠̜͔͕͎̲̎̒͛̊̈́̌̐̅͊̐̈͜͠͝ṯ̷̛̘̯̑̿́̄̉̆̃̂̊͊͐̾̃͝y̴̢̻̺͔̥͉̺̞̦̿̎̀͐́͊̚͜͜,̴̨͇̯̣̗̗̤̖͎̬̗̏̑͒̍́͜͠͠͝)

-it was becoming far more difficult.

“I swear, I would do anything to get her to shut up and-”

Pain. Unfathomable pain starts erupting from her chest, throughout her body, before everything starts to swell up.

* crack… *

“-huh?”

Unable to scream but in her mind, she feels the Soul Jam slowly leeching her as it starts affecting everything else at the same time, the body she is consciously in growing in abnormal mass. The pain grew with a violent surge, developed bones in her snapping and cracking under pressure, organs either crushed or inflating along before feeling them popping and regenerating with new ones. The helmet in her begins to feel tight as her face slowly and abominably grows at a quick rate. The armor on the body she’s in groans and crack, becoming suffocatingly tight.

All she could feel is pain, not being able to hear the panic from the cloaked Cookie’s voice.

“Wh-wh-wh-what in the Witch’s Oven!?! I-I thought Butter Roll Cookie and his research lackeys said that-”

* crack…crack…crack!! *

By now, everything is too much. She could feel the mass pressed onto the glass walls, continuously growing beyond the pressure the tube could handle. Her mind was hazed with petrified fear.

‘ Please,- ’

(T̸͇̤͚̾͗͗̈͊̽̔͗̇̄̋͘͘̕͘͝͝h̸̢̡̞͍̘̯̤̘̼̺̐́̆̋e̷̡̘͉̿͐̆̏̅̍̕r̷̛̳͓̝̥̫̯̮̬͈̼̤͚̹̆̓͋̃̀̊̌̉͂̌̎́͆̌̐e̸̝̫̝̜̙͙͎̰͉̤̰̤͉̚͜'̶͙̫͍͂͗͐͛̒̀̄̌̓́͜͝͝ṡ̵̨̛̺̔̍͑̈͆͆̉̈-̵͕̱͍͙̉͋̿͊͐̉́͋̾̑͝)

‘- no- ’

(-̵̨̨̣̫̓̍̆̃̅̈́̎̆͊͘͠p̶̯̯̤͋̏͋̂͐͆̀̉̈̄̍͆͆̊̄̚ô̷̙͂͐̀͝ȉ̷̙̣̜̠̣̦̘̯̥̬̻̤̮̯̝̠͗̆n̷̡̮̤̼̘͉̺̐̓́̏̅̽̈́͋͆́̾́͌̿͠͝ţ̵̗̜̰͙̜̂̎̓̾͒̍͆͐͗̎̔̀́̃̍͜͝ͅ ̴̠͇̞̯͕̺͔̼̤̦̟̳̥́̅͗̋̌̍͛̅̂͜͝ͅǫ̸͖̼̜̯͙͍̩͔̖̒̒f̷̪̰͚͎̪̓͆͜ ̸̧̨̝̩͖̭͙̪̘̝̥͖͉͚̯̹̈́̄̆͑͗́̔͑͋́̽ͅe̷̢̧̜̠͙̬̗̠̘̖̙̠̠̰̘͎̰̊͋̆͗͑̉̃̀͗̔̆̋̅́̚͠s̴̮̠̱͎̔̎̈́͐͊͆͝c̸͖͓̺̱͇̹̺̲͔̪̎̀̈̅̐̾̕ͅḁ̶̢̢͙̝̫̲͎͍̹̜̞̖͌͋̃̈͆͋̅̄̓̂̇̕ṕ̶̡̰͓̙̦͍ͅî̵̧͍̹̼̠̦̘̘͔̼͉̭̟͆̈́̎̊̕̚͜͠ͅͅn̶̡̡̜͙͓͉̠͚͉͒́͛͋̅͆̐̈́̈́̇̅̐̽̚̕͘͝ͅg̵̛̙̮̜͖̭͓̭͔̠̟̻̜̪͒̈͛̄͂̑̿̃͑̚ ̸̗̪̽͗̉̀̐̌̈́̎̾̐͜͝y̷̢̛̙̠̗̙̳̪̝̩͙̌͂͐̀̎̃̂͂̾̇̏̚͝o̸̫̘̣̦̐̅̈́̈́̃͊̄̈́̂͛̄͘͝͠͝ư̶̛̘̫̟̫̫̋͗̔͐͊̏͛͗̍͐͒̂͝͠͠r̷̢̺̥̯͎̝̰̭̀̍̊̿̐̿̽͒̌͛̏͒̄͠͠ ̴͇̹̳̯̎͊̿̇͒̀̇͌̓̌̈̓̓̚͝n̵̡̨̧̻̙͖̱̞̭̲̬̳̲̖̩̘̈́̅̆́̊̆̓̍̓͜͝͠e̸̡̝̲̠̦̞̣̋̈́́̌̏̇͂͑̉̒̕̕̕ẘ̸̛̯̺͓͉̟̌̄͂̈͒̎ ̵̼̻̣̜́̾́͑̆̀́̂̾̽͆̈f̴̡̻̭͕̜͎͖̞͍̟̖̻̿̃͐̉̂̏̄͆͒̕͝͝ͅą̸̨̜̗̥̲͑̓̐̀̒̒̽͆̿́̏̓͋̿̚͝t̶̨̜͉̟̝̥̩͍͙͍̀̅̏̆́̓͊̑̀ͅe̸͎͉̰͋͋͒̐̅̊̓̔͗̌͊̅̀,̴̨̢̡̣̞̭̩͈̞̲̬̲̗̖̇̈́͆̀̀̊̀̆̐͌́͗̎͋͘͠ͅ ̷̗͓̤̙̥̂͑͗̿͑̀͑̐̔͗͆͠͝f̶͔̣̥̆̿̈́̓̋͐̍̽̀̐̀͠r̸̨̛͇̥͉̙̟̥͕̾͝ā̸̢̘̠̼̻̥͎̭̦̟̝͇̌̽͂̃̑̈́̈́̽̓̅̚͜͜͠͝͝ì̷͍̞̞̤̞̻̐̅͂͒̈̾l̵̛̦̰̥̤̠̭͛́́̓͊̔̑̆̕͘͠ ̶̡̨̯̗̹̮̯̖͔̥͖͎̇̑̋̎̀̌̈́͑̑͋C̸̲̬̲͖̥̜̀̈́̓̅̌͜͜ó̸̬͉̠̝̻̈́̅͛̈́̔ŏ̶̭͇͍̹͆̑̾͂̈̃̈̓̈́̑̏͌͠͠ḳ̵́͛́̊̿į̶̨̛̳̤̟̪̙͖̦͓̘̞̞̰̩̜̭͗̈́̆̍̓̏͋͘̕ę̵̨̧͚̭̖̦̟̺͖̖̊̈͊͂͑̓̐̓̆͘͝ͅ,̵̨̺͈̠̱͕͚̰̣̠̖͙̱̞͍͈̠̕)

‘ -don’t- ’

(-̶̳̰̮̠̳̻̹̼̩̘̦̳̮͚̐͜ŗ̸̣̬̲̖̝͛̒̈́̒̄͛͝ẽ̷̞̖͕̼͇̲͎̙̘͓́̀̓̍͘͝͝͝ş̷̼̗͓̝̤̺͓̘͇̟̒͒͂̇̍́̈́́̽̂͒̾͆̈́̈́i̶̢̮̖̱̲̯̠̝̾̀͛̓̋͘͜s̶̤̉̀̐͗́̓́t̵̡̡̥̳̣̫̘̞̙̯͔̥̓̔̂͗̈́͗̍͋͐͘͘͜͝ͅ ̴̤͓̳̈́͛̂͋̊͛̔̍͗̄̓͐m̴̨̡̨̫̠̫̦̣̤̻̓́́͝͝ỳ̶̹͚̭̪̤͇̭͘ ̷̨̛̘̣̤͈̳̰̬̖̥̎͒̾̾͗͛͝c̶͈̭͙̱̙͉̰͎̖̘̦͈̹̑o̴̰͉͔̮̐͋͂͆̅̿̎́͂͌͠ņ̶͇̙̜̥̖̺̜̥͊̀͛t̷̨̟͈͇͇̣̩̜̙͎̠͛͜r̷̻̾̉̍̾̉̂̀̈̾́͛̿̄͋͘ǫ̴̛̰̖̫̣͓̰̠͎̟̾͗͊̈́̏͛͝ͅͅḽ̵̯̠̺͉̦͎̞͙̻̘͔͊̊̒͌̾͒́̈̄̅̔̑͋͊͘̚,̵̫̩̲̲̫̲͍͎̖̹͒̐ͅͅ)

* Crack!...CRack!...CRACK!!! *

“H-Hey! W-we got a situation here!! D-Dark Enchantress Cookie?!? Anyone?!?”

Hissing and whistling overcame White Lily Cookie’s hearing.

And then….

(W̸̢̡̨̞̼̗̮̞̻̺̺̔̊͗͝͠i̵̫͙͓̱̦̰͆̀̽̂̈̈́͒͗̄̾̊̅͑̑̚͜t̴̨̩͍̟̞̟̩̣͋̇͋͒̍́̈́̅̍̑̾̃̆͝͝ͅň̴͙͎̆̆͌̄̓̇́̈́͘ḛ̶̢̥̯͓̉̿͌͛̎̂̚͜͠s̴̞̣͙̠̦̗͇̞̏͒́͆̃͌͐̂̋̀͊͆̂̈́̂͜s̴̡̨̧̮͉̲̰͈̪͈̱̦̑̀̈̎̉̉̈́̈͐̏̅̒̔̕̕͘͜ ̶̡̮̜̝͓̠̪̦̭̿͒̌̏̂͒̄͒̆̈́̐͝͝͝ṭ̸̨̛͉̉̽́͌͋̑͜͝͠͝h̴̨̠̹̱̙̤̘́̉͝e̵͚̱͕̜̎̂ͅ ̵̘͚̙̻̙̖̠̠͖̥̲̼̔̇͒̓͐̋͑͂̑͌̈́̀̚r̴͉̬̼̳͗͐͆̃̍͑͂̐͠ẽ̵̢̟̳̮̹̀́̔̕i̵͕̤͂͝g̶̡̧̻̲͉̣̾n̵̢̘͇͓̝̗̩̙̣̦̟̭̙̲̲̬̏͗̃̊ ̸̨̢͚̩͔̩̼̮̈́̅ͅo̸̧̺̻̱͍̪͆f̸̱̟͙̬̮͎͆̓ͅ ̸̬͍̳͓̬̒̌̾͂͌̌̍̇̍̂̑̔̊͋̾͑͠S̵̨̧̛͔̤̳͈͕̮͚͙͎͚͂̓͌̿́́͜͠i̵̩͙̰͍̻̞̝̭͙̜̪͎̻̲͇̚͝ͅl̶̡̢͇̘̟̪̻̠̫͓̗͕̠̀́̾̍̂̐͆͂̈́̑̈́̈́́̕͝ẻ̵̘̳̳͙̳̞́͠͝n̸̨̢̼̹̤̤̻̦̯̭̥̠͙͉̍́͊̋̀̈́́̆̅̈͛͗͛͜͝ͅç̷̢̡̛̣̜͖̩̪̖͎̠̼͔̥͑̊̆̃́̍̽̈͂̇͛́̀̕͜͜͠͠e̷̢̛̛̛̜̠̻̦̪̳͈͚̣͊͒̄̋́̆̔̂̅̾̀̕̕ͅ ̸̢̢̯͍̮̣͚̙̥̱̝̙̓͂̿͌̃͑̿̎̊̍͆̓͛͂̕͝ṛ̵̨̭̤̲̹̲̬̰̰́̓̍̆̊̽͑̏̓̈́͌̓̌́̂͜e̷̡̡̨̨̘̗̖͔̤̮̲̦̗̖̦̰̦̐͌͋̆̈́͒̎͛͆̍̒͆̒̚̕͘͝ņ̵̙͚̯̜̟̲͍͍͙͓̯̪̿͋͛̑͊͛̆̇͛͘͜͜e̸͚̗͍̱̬̪͊̄͛͌͝w̸̡̨͔͇͚̻̮̌̔̍̽̿̉́̐̾͜͜e̷͇͍̳͉̪̅͗͛̏͑̓̈́̇ď̴̡͖̱͇̤̺̺̖̬̙͙̫͗̈́́̈̿̀̑̔̀̍̽̕͜͝.̴̧͉͙̱͎͎̺͎͖͕̫̗̙̼̭͎̮̿.̷̡̧̛͕̤͖̖̥̯͔͙͓̳̗̝̉͑̀̾̏͋̕͜͝͝͝.̴̢̰̘̉͋̐́͌̓̃͌̋͌̒̏̚̚̚͠.̵̨̧̩̫͖͕̻̩̘͉̩̮̘̺̹͉̂̐̽́ ̵̧̡̡̡̝̤͇̝̖̹̭̬̍̒͌̃O̵̧̱̞̪͎̞͖̯͍͗́͊̓̄͑̈́̌͝l̴̗̫̤͔̰̮͖̫͉͆̄͂̾̂̇̈͌̊ḑ̸̢̛̳͔̯͙̞͕̼̬͕̟̜͙̦̈̈́̏͛͒̀̿̈͆̃̊̄̈́̚͠ͅ ̵̛̛̮͕̑̂͗͆̀̿̒͂̽̃̒̂͘̕W̵̙͓̩̐̊͗i̷̧̙͎̮̝̺̖̰͕̘͔̪̜̥̤͔̥͑͆͋́̀̈́͗̏̍̓̚͝͝ȩ̵̡̛̛͓̤̯̯͉̰̖͔͙̙̰̘̉̀̋̉̐̚͘͠ͅĺ̶̡̘̖͕̮̮͑͂̎̋͂͘̚͠ͅd̸͎͐̕ę̷͍͖͙̰͉̹̲̠͊̉̿̄̈̀̚r̴̥̖̼̳͚̰̱̟͔͙̦̦̄͐͂̎͌̀̅̌͑̕.̷̰͎͓̜̥͕̗̙͇̟͖̺̻̙̯̈̂̿̒̾͐́)

*BOOOOM!!!*

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!!!!!”

* Crash! Thud! *

“Guardian! Are you alright?!”

White Lily Cookie didn’t hear the Faerie speaking to her, barely supporting herself on the floor as she hyperventilates and gasp desperately for air, a hand on her chest where she felt the pain in her nightmare. She was far too deep in her distress to hear the rush of footsteps frantically coming to her aid, or the worried buzzing of Faerie wings, or the voices of her best friend. Her head was going to a spiral, feeling as it was going to-

A fragrance hit her nose. A soothing scent whiffed up to her, an artificial sour and sweet smell combined with a calming aroma of…salt?

“White Lily Cookie?....can-…hear me?”

The timid yet kind voice spoke to her, familiar yet her mind is still not fully having the capability to remember who it was as she feels herself gently seated on a chair.

“White Lily Cookie? Can you nod if you hear me?” the saintess nodded, earning a sound of relief from the owner, “Okay…okay…that’s good. Now, please follow my instructions. Close your eyes and breathe with me. Take a deep breath, let it in for five seconds, then exhale for three. Can you do that?” she nodded, feeling a hand rubbing her back, “Okay. Now, breathe in…one, two, three, four, five…breathe out…two, three. Again…”

The breathing continued for a few more times, slowly clearing White Lily Cookie’s head from the panic attack. It helped that whoever calmed her was rubbing her back to soothe her stress. Soon, she felt calm enough to open her eyes and was soon greeted by the sight of Pure Vanilla Cookie, Mercurial Knight Cookie, Silverbell Cookie, her advisor, GingerBrave, Wizard Cookie, and…

Wait. Where’s-

“How are you feeling, White Lily Cookie?”

The saintess turned head right to her left and there nearly behind her is Strawberry Cookie, pulling her arm from….oh.

“Strawberry Cookie, were you…” she got a shy nod from the young Cookie, eyes not meeting hers as she timidly gripped the lollipop in her hands.

“Um…” Strawberry Cookie started, eyes hesitantly looking up to her, “A-actually-”

Then the child stopped in her tracks, eyes drifting to her weapon with confusion. Or rather, who is in her weapon.

“What..?”

…

“Why would you-”

….

“But-”

…..

“...You know that’s not true, don’t you?”

….

“...I don’t care,”

!!!?

“I..I might sound crazy, or even insane for saying this, but…they are wrong about you. You were only trying to help them when they were starting to lose trust out of fear that you would become a Beast . You haven’t done anything wrong before you were pushed into that limit. You were just as hurt as they were, just as scared. They were all so caught up to their own fears that they did not even think about how you feel, how you reacted. You are just like us, like me. A Cookie, easy to crumble under any stress… You were just doing your role as their guide, before they forced you to swing that blade…”

…never has the air felt so heavy, the looming silence felt undeniably somber. White Lily Cookie looked around her and at everyone else. Pure Vanilla Cookie, with his flower staff’s expressive eye, frowned with sadness and pity. The Faerie Cookies were just there, silent, with Silverbell Cookie looking to the side with uncertainty. GingerBrave and Wizard stood there with the same action as Silverbell Cookie: eyes unable to look at their sister with levels of gloom on their faces. Oddly enough, their respective sealed Beasts were strangely silent.

“...I forgive you,”

!!!!

Those three soft words were enough to utterly shock everyone, especially White Lily Cookie herself. Her wide speechless eyes were focused on Strawberry Cookie, who seemed very off guarded by her own words. White lily Cookie couldn’t see the expression of the others, but she can assume it ranging from shock, confusion, disbelief, and along the lines of, dare she thinks, “is she out of her mind?!”.

The Guardian soon took notice of what visible dough behind the child’s hood started going pink. Concerned, she carefully reached out a hand.

“Strawberry Cookie-”

“GingerBravecanyouholdmylollipopforamomentIneedtousethebathroomisthatokay?Great!Thankyou!you’rethebestLittleBrobye!”

* Swoosh! *

White Lily Cookie blinked once. Blinked twice.

“...Did she just…vanished in a mist of pink salt?” a question that was in the mind of everyone (sans Silent Salt Cookie) that White Lily Cookie’s advisor asked out loud.

Indeed in Strawberry Cookie’s words, her weapon was left in the hands of GingerBrave that day. For two hours. The energetic Cookie was uncharacteristically less chattier when he was looking over the Beast of Silence, while the Beast of Destruction was running his motormouth on the lollipop sealed prisoner. Whatever that was, Burning Spice Cookie was undeniably seething within the candy cane. Shadow Milk Cookie’s eye was in a furrowed, confused daze the rest of the day.

When Strawberry Cookie came back, she was calmer and back to her normal self, though she was shying her gaze from others slightly more than average.

But what really had the Hero of Freedom reeling back was Silent Salt Cookie. It was the day after that event that Strawberry Cookie came and, with permission from a certain Beast, told the saintess that it was his aid who helped White Lily Cookie out of her panic attack. He thought Strawberry Cookie how to magically produce scented salts that are calming and therapeutic, as well as how to proceed on de-escalating the mental breakdown. Though he only did it because his warden asked for his aid, words that were relayed through Strawberry Cookie. Sided with the cold gaze from within the lollipop.

Yet…the hostility was less fearing, but the Hero of Freedom said nothing of it.

Hugging her staff, one hand gently touching her Soul Jam, she started reflecting on her role as its wielder. For all her life, she had been doing her duty in hopes of seeking the truth of why they, the Cookies, were made. For so long, they had lived in prosperity, content of what they live for in Earthbread. Yet, The Witches’ Banquet made her fall to grace, split and scattered like her Soul Jam, not knowing what to believe anymore or what is real. She believed that she herself was not worthy of second chances, of a path to redemption. And yet, she was forgiven…Gingerbrave,....Strawberry Cookie,....Wizard Cookie,....Pure Vanilla Cookie,... they all still welcomed her back.

They still think of her as a friend. They gave her a second chance. And, even after everything she had caused because of Dark Enchantress Cookie, she’s being forgiven by them.

She smiled almost bitterly. She didn’t deserve them and their kindness. Yet, here she was, being given such.

The Soul Jam of Freedom pulses on her lily staff, its warmth reassuring her trembling heart. She smiled, yet a small part still unconvinced.

Then her mind relayed back to that same nightmare she experienced. Her hand gripped the staff tighter at the memory of the phantom pain of her body unxontrollably dysmorphing before…she went pop.

She took a deep breath and recomposured herself. She snuck a glance at Strawberry Cookie still having a silent conversation with the sealed knight as a thought came to her.

She thought back to the painful agony on her chest where she felt a Soul Jam she sworn to be similar to her own.

Then she looked back to the event that lead to the three kids getting three of the five Beasts.

She wondered why Silent Salt Cookies's Soul Jam in her nightmare had in on his chest…. yet upon the glimpse of seeing him out of the Tree the Soul Jam is on the Sword.

And after all that had happened in the Silver Kingdom, all the interaction between the trio and their respective Beasts…. even when a part of her was warning how dangerous this thought is…

She, with no reason wondered….if it is possible to redeem a Beast.

Chapter Text

A blazing long candy cane, with an angry red-orange glistening battle axe blade at the back of the cane's hook, meets a silver spear as both clash with vigorous determination. They strike on each swing, sparks fly on each contact.

“Hyaaaaah!”

GingerBrave gives a mighty leap over the currently grounded Mercurial Knight Cookie as he launches a downward swing to the stoically calm Faerie knight from behind. The Faerie was undeterred and swiftly spun and blocked the swing with his spear, parrying it with ease and letting the opponent blade strike into the dirt. He then swung the spear, sliding the base against the rest of the cane before it was about to meet GingerBrave's face.

The Cookie in question quickly let go of his weapon, pulled back and downward limbo evaded the weapon as it passed over him by a drizzle of his hair. Such a stunt would’ve been awesome-

* phud! *

“Ow,”

-if it weren’t for the fact that GingerBrave had never done such a feat before and just proceeds to fall flat on the ground. And thus, Mercurial Knight Cookie ended the spar with a foot to the chest and his spear pointed closely to the Cookie’s face.

“This battle has been concluded,” Mercurial Knight Cookie spoke, pulling away his spear and helping up the Cookie to his feet,”I suggest we take a break from the training, young doughling”

Young doughling. A word that made GingerBrave scrunch his face to almost a pout as he sat up. It’s not that he found it insulting, but he found it to some degree embarrassing and annoying. 

“What kind of swings are those?! I already gave you pointers on how to swing and you still swing it like it’s still a cane!” the Beast Cookie reflecting from the blade’s flat surface embedded in the ground huffed, his tone something with a critical thought, “I could see and feel you are straining your arms whenever you try to stop the momentum of your swing. I already stressed to you to always, always , change your grip, and put more tension -not pressure- in your body whenever you let the swing lead you when you use its momentum for your next attack. But do not swing it like your sister’s mace,”

If one were to ask GingerBrave what it is like to have the Beast of Destruction as a forced partner (and a forced mentor), he would not lie, it is definitely without question terrifying at first. Then discomforting at second. Enduring at the third. Then finally, mutual in some way.

GingerBrave certainly has mixed feelings about this. Among the trio, he is still the most unsure of his…. Beast buddy. Strawberry Cookie was somehow getting along with Silent Salt Cookie these past three months, and Wizard Cookie had formed a magic rivalry with Shadow Milk Cookie. Him on the other hand? He is still struggling with his fear of fire. Yet, he cannot lie that it was certainly exhilarating and helpful in many ways, if not tiring.

“Hey, GingerWimp!-” GingerBrave was already used to that title while he sees Mercurial Knight Cookie darkly and warningly glaring at the Beast of Destruction, who just ignored the Faerie, “-Take up your cane again. We’re going for round two hundred and seventy four! Or are those words of ‘ bravery ’ nothing more than lies of a quitter?!”

“ Beast- ”

“Who are you calling a quitter?!” GingerBrave cuts off Mercurial Knight Cookie’s growling as he leaps to his feet, then marches up to the burning axe and takes it off the ground. In a blaze as he raises it up the air, the weapon shrinks and reverts back to a familiar cane. Throughout this, he maintains the shining smile of burning determination and big hearted declaration, “I am GingerBrave, and I will not back down from this challenge!”

Uproarious and thrilled laughter erupted from the cane as it burned with prideful passion, “Yes YES! THAT IS WHAT I WANT TO HEAR! HA-HA-HA-”

“Ahem,”

“-Aaaaah your siblings are behind us, aren't they?”

GingerBrave didn’t respond, freezing like a statue as he nervously turned his head over his shoulder to see both Strawberry Cookie and Wizard Cookie standing there. Wizard Cookie had an unimpressed leer with one hand on his hip as he held his staff with the other. Strawberry Cookie was looking as well. Not with anger, but a very disappointed and sad worry look.

His sister's face always makes him feel like his heart was stabbing itself for making her upset. Wizard Cookie's disappointment look would cause him to feel small.

“GingerBrave…” Wizard Cookie brings up his free hand to his head, pinching his temples as he sighs with irritation, “Do you know what time it is today?”

“Uhh…” 

“When is the last time you eat?”

GingerBrave’s stomach grumbled in response.

“Did you sleep?”

“...”

“By the stars, have you been sparring with Mercurial Knight Cookie multiple times for the past thirty-eight hours since yesterday?!?! Not even thinking of stopping to eat or rest?!” Wizard Cookie scolded with an aghast wave of his staff, intentionally ignoring the yelling eye, then pointing it to the silver knight, “And you! You know us Cookies are different from you Faeries and you didn't question why our brother here remained awake past the sleeping hour while we are already in bed? Or the fact that he didn't went to pause and get something to fill his doughy stomach the entire time you were sparring?!”

Now GingerBrave was beginning to feel embarrassed by Wizard Cookie's “parent voice”. It was a joke that he and his siblings made during their time in the rebuild of the Cookie Kingdom (a name of which Wizard Cookie gave a stinky eye at when GingerBrave declared it). The joke became its own name as time and time again when he gets into a situation, Wizard Cookie would go full scolding mode, with Strawberry Cookie standing behind their brother with the same eyes as she has now.

“...I will admit, I carelessly overlooked these details without question as we constantly sparred the entire time,” GingerBrave heard Mercurial Knight Cookie spoke as the knight flew right beside him, looking to meet the Faerie eye to eye, “I am afraid that we will have to put this spar to a stop now… and for safety reasons, head to the medical bay,”

GingerBrave looked between the three with slight nervousness then waved his arms in an attempt to dismiss the small knot tying in his gut, “Guys, I’m fine! There’s nothing to worry about! I don’t need to see a healer-”

GingerBrave was immediately sent to a healer seconds later. He was sent to the Ancient Hero of Truth to be precise. 

“Why didn’t you tell us, much less notify us in advance, that you had a three minute timer before your body collapsed itself on you?!”

GingerBrave winced as he held up his arms between himself and Wizard Cookie who was rightfully frightened, angered, and worried the moment the Cookie’s went lurching the ground out of nowhere. The ordinary-looking brother was currently in a medical bed being watched over by a Doctor Faerie and Pure Vanilla Cookie, while Strawberry Cookie was carefully holding back their wizard brother from accidentally launching himself at their bedridden sibling. GingerBrave will admit it was his own reckless fault for not telling them about the new power development he had. And it is a must that both Ancients had made and they all agreed to.

Ever since Wizard Cookie’s dreamscape event and GingerBrave’s ability to weapon-shift, the current Silver Tree Guardian told the trio to report or put in notes of any new powers or abilities. 

So far, Strawberry Cookie can make scented salts that can calm, knockout, or disorient anyone in contact, vanish swiftly in a mist, and conjure a slither of magic that seems to flow around her. The last one is something no one, not even Silent Salt Cookie, understands, even identified.

Wizard Cookie had developed a new kind of magic: Transformation Magic. It popped up by accident when the Cookie looking after the blue jester was trying to make sense of the music sheets that are ancient tomes of the Silver Faerie Kingdom library. In frustration, he hit his own head on the staff and intently wished that he was a Faerie Cookie. The end result was an overly stacked table with a very energetic newly changed Faerie Wizard Cookie fluttering with his new wings, adorning a silver dough, robe, and his usual wizard hat changed to instead a spiral flat-coiled silver cone on a disc of three large prismic leaves. The only thing that made him recognizable is the staff. While it did change to a silver body of entwined branches and vines, the disturbed eye of the jester is all there is to tell them. It took them all a while to get him out of the funk (and discover that it also changed them mentally in all but memories) before he reverted back to his Cookie self. Despite the displeasure, he was satisfied with having an understanding of Faerie culture.

As for GingerBrave, fire resistance is an obvious one. Weapon-shifting turned out to have different ranges depending on Cookies he admired and closely connected to…. Which is to say a lot .Burning Spice Cookie growled at this momentarily (in jealousy as he thought the weapons are based on the ones he had, but no one wanted to say it out loud), but then decided he would be GingerBrave’s trainer on how to wield them. Which lead to White Lily Cookie assigned her top soldiers like Mercurial Knight Cookie to look over the child’s training. What they also discovered is that GingerBrave can make a second weapon, but this one is on a limit due to (by Burning Spice Cookie’s words) having no object to reliably anchor its solidity like the Cookie’s cane and GingerBrave having little to no concentrated will to keep them solid for longer time. 

Here leads the unnoted new development that he kept from everyone: Spice Burst. This gives GingerBrave the capability to constantly fight without fatigue or physical strain, moving through constant adrenaline alone. The problem is that he needs to pump that adrenaline without stopping, otherwise he only has three minutes before the aftermath of his bodily neglect catches up to him like a broken dam. 

Which led to where he is now.

“Now, do calm down, Wizard Cookie. What has happened already happened,” Pure Vanilla Cookie warmly and softly started, GingerBrave catching a glimpse of Shadow Milk Cookie’s eye rolling itself, “Me and the Faerie doctor will keep a close eye on his health for the next few days and make sure that he doesn’t leave the room in your stead. Will you trust us to do so?”

Glancing to his brother, he stared as Wizard Cookie leered at him before they closed their eyes in defeat, “I supposed,” then he pointed the staff to the two adults in the room, “But if something happens that you two do not know how to handle, call us. Got it?”

GingerBrave took notice of Strawberry Cookie’s stern nod of agreement with Wizard Cookie, feeling both flustered yet warm by their care for him.

“It’s a promise,” Pure Vanilla Cookie said.

Over the next hours were him staying in the medical bed, being fed with soup and medicine, helping him stretch his legs, and finding something to entertain his mind while being supervised.

Evening came sooner than he expected.

He couldn’t sleep. He just laid there staring up on the ceiling, mind still too awake to sleep.

“Burning Spice Cookie? Are you still awake?” he called.

It is funny, he thought, that his cane’s prisoner is beside him to his right, left in a cane rack as he hears the soft crackling of the Beast’s power.

“What’s it to you?” the Beast Cookie in question grumbled, “You can thank your damn siblings for making me relive that stupid moment of your sister chucking me to a crater those months ago,”

GingerBrave couldn’t help but snort, trying to keep it on the low.

“....Hey, wimp,”

GingerBrave is already used to that nickname for some time now, turning his head to look with a questioning face.

“When are you going to tell them that I knew ?”

It took a moment for GingerBrave to realize what the Beast meant by that. When he did, the young Cookie found himself shifting his body to lay on its side, fully facing the cane. His hands curled beneath the blanket as his eyes momentarily looked away with uncertainty and remembrance.

He had almost forgotten about that. Almost forgotten about the other unnoted thing he had with Burning Spice Cookie. 

He had almost forgotten, a month ago, that the Destroyer had discovered the trio’s dreaded secret.

One Month Ago - GingerBrave’s Dreamscape

When GingerBrave overheard that the same unknown monster that Silverbell Cookie had reported more than a month ago was seen again by the Faerie scouts, days after being let out of the medical bay, he remembered he and his siblings (and Carameleon Cookie) were busy with a… situation while White Lily Cookie and the soldiers were fighting it off. Said situation was a baby. A baby that fell from the sky like a meteorite, literally. 

GingerBrave was so glad he ignored Burning Spice Cookie’s idea of hitting the doughling away, a feeling shared by his siblings when it comes to their own abilities. Being the users of the Beasts’ abilities, the outcome would’ve been…messy and outright traumatizing. They took the wailing infant to the Heroes who were flabbergasted by how they encountered them (and the it may be just GingerBrave, but White Lily Cookie was looking a lot more whiter than normal), leading to the agreement of sending the baby to the Cookie Kingdom via Blueberry Bird.

GingerBrave felt sorry for the bird upon seeing its gawking disbelief on its face when it saw the little guy.

Back to the story, when GingerBrave volunteered to assist in defeating the unknown monster, the adults were skeptical. However, he won their hearts and was allowed to lend a hand. With Wizard Cookie and Strawberry Cookie next to him (and a very eager Harbinger), he thought nothing of what they were about to face…

The three of them were overly unprepared at the sight of a wailing, groaning, moldy abomination that is a horrifyingly large green mass of Cookie dough. It was a nightmare to behold as bodies melded into the monstrosity were melting and dripping like candle wax, clawing the air and dirt as the moan in pain. All their eyes were all empty voids blankly and horrifyingly looked at everything. Not to forget that it's constantly infecting and consuming all in its path.

GingerBrave didn’t know what happened. His body became paralyzed as he stood there staring at the mass, his ears started ringing deaf as he could barely hear the shouting and yelling. He barely registered what had happened before his head turned up to the sky above.

Then blacked out.

Cackling. Familiar, wicked cackling was the first thing that got to his ears.

Heat, from the air to the iron surface he was laying on.

GingerBrave opened his eyes immediately and sat up with horrified dread, only for what his sight introduced him to make his stomach drop. An all too familiar sight of mountainous flames and ashes surrounds all but the bars of a locked-up giant metal, the searing heat of the large giant charred-black tray beneath his feet, and all around… dead and burnt bodies of Cookies he had thought to be his dozens of siblings.

The Oven. He’s back in the Witch’s Oven.

“No…no-no-no-” his heart trembled as he tumbled in horror, repeating the same words in fearful denial as his body shakes and his mind begins to haze.

“GINGERBRAVE, HELP!”

His head whipped towards the Oven’s gates, hearing the cries of someone he already recognized. Then another dash of fear came pouring down on him when he heard it.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-! Squirm and scream all you want, little Cookies! It only makes it more entertaining to eat you!”

Instincts on high, he legs it to the gate with all his might. He hopes, to all life he hopes, that he would be able to reach them. To rescue them. To-

Before he could make contact with the iron bars, red hot chains lunged from under him and coiled him from his legs, to his torso, to his arms, ending with his neck.

“NO!” he screamed, tugging and thrashing with all his might, desperate to get to-

“GINGERBRAVE!!!!”

His eyes looked up, looking through the bars.

Looking at the Witch meeting his eyes with twisted amusement.

Looking at the scared faces of his siblings and friends, all compacted in a cookie jar.

“Well well! A Cookie trying to be a hero? How pathetic!” GingerBrave hears the Witch cackle, then watches her look behind her shoulder, “Snacktime, Sisters!”

He was appalled to see more Witches coming to view. All his dough becomes petrified as one by one they take a Cookie or two from the jar.

“GINGERBRAVE!”

“HELP US!!”

He couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. He could do nothing but stare as the Witches picked up the friends and family he had built the day he escaped the Oven.

“SAVE US, PLEASE!!”

“YOU HAVE TO HELP US!!”

The screams and shouting became overwhelming to him as he continues to be rigidly in place, his mind screaming to his unresponsive body to move. It didn’t.

“GINGERBRAVE, DO SOMETHING!!”

“WE TRUSTED YOU!! WE ALL TRUSTED YOU!!”

What can he do?! He couldn’t get out of the chains no matter how much he tried! He begged for everything to stop, for all of it to stop!

“GINGERBRAVE!!”

Please-

“GINGERBRAVE!!”

-make-

“GINGERBRAVE!!”

-it-

“Wake…the fuck…UP!!!!”

* Crash!!! *

GingerBrave jolted up awake, breathing heavily and terrified.

It took him a second to realize where he was.

Then blinked out of confusion.

Sunlight was shining through the skylight windows above him as he found himself sitting on the small flight of stairs, in a giant room built by bricks and mud (from the surface, he thinks? GingerBrave was never good on construction stuff).  There are a number of torches mounted on some columns (four, he counted) and on pedestals (two). On other columns were… what did Lilac Cookie call them? Thorough - bull? Too - ruble? He should ask him again. Anyway, he sees them hanging by the ends of their chains by a hook on other columns. He could never forget the colourful plants hanging around and the large bowls of powders that smells really nice…and quite on the spicy side.

It looks wonderful and beautiful but… where is he?

“Are you done aweing?”

GingerBrave didn’t know what to expect when he looked behind himself.

The towering red Beast, now looking more different with four extra arms, weilding an axe, a large bow, and a golden arrow-spear as he towers over the Cookie with a ring of flames blazing intimidatingly behind him, was not what he expected to set eyes on.

“EEK!!” GingerBrave shrieked as he practically leaped back from his sitting, only to tumble down the small steps of stairs that he forgot were there when he backed away and made two rolls before hitting his head on a short table, “Ow…”

“I am starting to consider that our ‘ partnership ’ was nothing but a regrettable mistake,” Burning Spice Cookie grumbled, either to himself or to GingerBrave, before looking over his own body. He gives each arm a flex or a shoulder roll as a smirk grows on his face, “Ha-ha! Oh, Papa certainly missed you babies!”

GingerBrave took another moment to recompose before leaping up to his feet and reaching his waist for his-

Cane.

His cane isn’t with him.

The same cane that trapped the Beast before him.

He internally panicked for a second before shoving it down and taking a stance, fist up as he stared up at the Beast shaken but determined.

“Alright, I don’t know where I am or how you got out of my cane, but I won’t let you harm anymore Cookies as long as I’m standing!” he declared loudly.

“Wimp-”

“I have fought big monsters, powerful Cookies, and many other things with the help of my dearest friends…”

“Listen-”

“Don’t think I will just lay down and accept defeat, Burning Spice Cookie! I am GingeBrave! You don’t scare me-”

Burning Spice Cookie stood up.

GingerBrave’s words went dead in an instant as his eyes glued at the Beast’s own, an unreadable glare judgmentally looking down on him. Then the red Cookie walks down the steps, small tremors on each step, as he walks up to GingerBrave who’s bravado was failing him as the Beast drew closer.

Soon, after what felt like an eternity to the young Cookie, towering over him, shadow overcasting his trembling body, Burning Spice Cookie stands with his three weapons at hand.

GingerBrave felt he knew he messed up big time, aggravating the Beast Cookie was not what he intended yet still foolishly did. What he did was stupid, idiotic, and down to the core suicidal with no point of survival.

His mind lapse back to his time with his siblings, how the trio became what they are. Starting as friends, then as an emotionally official family. He looked back to Wizard Cookie’s geeking on knowledge and magic, of times acting as a tutor, and times when his seriousness would slip off to reveal his childish eagerness on learning new things. He looked back to Strawberry Cookie’s timid yet caring kindness, her prowess on video games when he and her play competitively back home.

Then his mind went to all the friends he had made. Chili Pepper Cookie, Custard Cookie III, the Sugar Gnomes, all the Cookies they have met, The Ancients, the citizens of the four kingdoms…

GingerBrave didn’t want to leave them behind.

He didn't want to go.

He didn’t want to die .

Before Burning Spice Cookie, what was left of the brave Cookie was now a cowering child, crouched down, hands on his head, and overcome with fear as GingerBrave sobs and repeats the words “Please, don’t kill me,” and I don’t want to die,” repeatedly along with intangible hiccups of names he’s apologizing to.

….

….

….

….

‘ ...Witch of Light, give me strength. I beg you, ’ Burning Spice Cookie miserably pleaded internally, having no jammy clue how to handle this situation.