Chapter Text
The sun hadn’t even got the chance to rise when the ghost ship drifted into the harbors.
It was only an hour later when Hollyberry was thrown out of a restless night sleep, the customary chains around her chest shattering at the frantic knock on her door. She barely had time to strap on her armor, the pieces sticking uncomfortably into her joints. She only had enough time to shake Wildberry awake before they were rushed to the docks.
“Queen Mother… I apologize for summoning you at the crack of dawn.” The harbormaster mutters as he guides them through the wharfs. The docks are entirely desolate-the chorus of sailors, merchants, workers gone, leaving behind only the song of seagulls.
“Oh, it’s no issue at all!” Hollyberry says, her voice still thick from the throes of sleep. The cherub makes a face, rubbing his eyes as he yawns pointedly. Pavlova’s feet drag along the floorboards, the beat of his wings groggy and slow.
Wildberry had taken it upon himself to wake up the cherub, dragging him out of bed to suffer with him- his own form of revenge. Judging by his taut jaw, it looks like it backfired on him spectacularly.
“This ship…I didn’t think anything of it at first. Perfectly preserved, nothing out of the ordinary about it. Sent one of my best workers out to rope the ship in- all standard procedure, a simple job. Should have taken only ten minutes, tops.” He inhales a deep breath of his cigar before exhaling- the wisps of smoke furling upwards. “Came back, hands covered in white dust, shaking in his damn boots. A full-grown cookie, who has battled sea serpents, durianeer pirates, even helped fight in the second war, brought to his knees by whatever was out on that ship.”
“Do you know anything about what’s on it?”
The harbormaster shrugs. “Don’t know- he wouldn’t say a word to me about what he saw. None of my crew dares venture out there after seeing his reaction, and I’m far beyond my prime for this type of stuff. So, I sent for you.”
“Smart choice.” She replies, squinting into the far reaches of the dock, trying and failing to see through the impenetrable morning fog.
“Just a little to the left….and there it is.” The cookie points ahead, and it takes a second for her eyes to focus on it.
Through the dismal smog that sweats off the ocean waves, a looming silhouette peeks through- the trading ship perfectly moored at the far reaches of the dock. Even from this far away, she can tell that it’s a Creme Republic trading ship, the emblem plastered proudly on the flitting sails. Backlit against the dawn, she can see the shadows of cookies on board. But yet, they remain strangely still, not even their clothing flickering in the wind.
The cookie stops dead in his tracks, toeing an invisible line in the sand. “Queen Mother…I’ll wait for you back at the dockside office.“ He clutches at his coat, shooting a glance at the faraway boat. “Can’t go any further than this. Good luck be with you batch, you’ll need it.”
He doesn’t wait for a response- turning on his heel and nearly sprinting away back to civilization, leaving the three of them alone on the docks.
The sea spray from the crashing waves coats Hollyberry’s armor. The chill of the water seeps through the metal armor, sending shivers up her spine. But it doesn’t compare to the trepidation as she looks onwards.
“…That was abrupt.” Pavlova grumbles, and Wildberry elbows him sharply in the side.
The ancient stares at the unassuming ship. She’s seen hundreds of these boats at this point, the Crème Republic at the current forefront of trade with the other kingdoms. But something about this one is distinctly off .
Even if she didn’t receive a warning from the harbormaster, something about the boat would tip her off on its ghastly contents. A harbinger- of something worse to come.
As they approach, the mist grows thicker. Cloaking the boat in layers of layers of grey, obscuring the deck from view. Even from only mere feet away, she still can’t make out the deck. Which leaves only one option.
“Wait here for a moment, you two!” She calls out. The two cookies obediently listen, watching as she prepares to jump on. Hollyberry hoists her shield as she hops onto the ship’s deck. The ship itself groans under her impact, as if challenging her arrival.
Taking a few more steps forward, the fog finally parts before her, at last exposing its inhabitants on board.
“By the Witches breath-“ Hollyberry exhales, her words whistling along on the sea’s breath.
Statues. They were all statues.
Ivory has usurped their dough- the smooth grains of white stone encasing their forms whole, trapped in time forever. Engravings dance throughout their surfaces, their twisted shape eerily resembling eyes, all staring straight through her. The only sign of life left on the ship was a singular seagull perched on a cookie’s frozen hat.
The floorboards were thickly coated in white dust, amalgamating with the moist floorboards. For a split second, Hollyberry wonders if it’s flour. But on closer look, the texture is much too fine, too crystalline to be confused with its coarseness. It’s as if someone had perfectly chiseled the cookies likeliness from blocks of stone, leaving behind a mess of pulverized debris.
Wildberry Cookie crosses onto the ship behind her, his lumbering footsteps reverbing through the floorboards. Pavlova follows along with him, his grip tight on the other’s shoulders. The cherub looks terrified, his pink dough left pallid as he stares at the former sailors.
“Queen Mother…what do you think this is?” Her bodyguard asks, a thrum of panic running through his normally imperturbable voice.
Pavlova at last leaves Wildberry’s side, his feet gingerly touching down on the deck. His arms wrap around himself as he stares at the statues. The sight has spooked the cherub into a ghost of his usual self, his arrogant bravado vanishing in an instant. Shell-shocked.
“I don’t know.” She murmurs, reflexively clenching her shield’s handle. “I haven’t seen anything like this…except for-“
Her eyes meet with Wildberry- and they come to the same conclusion at the exact same time.
“Pavlova Cookie!”
He violently jolts, the sound of his name scaring him out of his dough. With wide eyes, he wheels around to face Hollyberry.
“Can you please wake up and bring Eternal Sugar Cookie here?” The ancient asks, leaving no room for argument.
He dips his head in clear relief. “G-Got it.”
Pavlova jumps over the ship’s edge with rapid alacrity, battling against the ocean winds before soaring back in the direction of the palace. The two cookies watch his disappearing figure until he disappears behind the tree line.
“…Should we explore below deck as we wait?” Hollyberry suggests. With a shudder, Wildberry heads to the cabin door. Throwing the door open, he has to turn away from the avalanche of dust that erupts from the opening. Even as they descended, the air does not relent - just as difficult to see below deck as it is above it.
None of the cookies in the cabins escaped that sorry stony fate. Statues sway in hammocks, their sculptured eyes slipped shut. Others are assembled around a table in the midst of a card game, a game that will be left forever unfinished. A museum more than a cargo ship, preserving the cookies inside as exhibits forever.
Strangely, the goods inside the various crates remain intact. The fruits are still as perfectly fresh as it was when it was caught- the spell only targeting the cookies onboard.
It’s unbearable to stay below deck- the ship practically forcing them out of its maw before they could explore further.
The stagnant air is absolutely thick with dust. Layers upon layers of the swirling particles build up on her lungs, her tongue drowning in tastes of ancient ruins and rot, threatening to convert her from the inside out.
The two break out of the cargo hold, eagerly devouring each gasp for fresh air. The sea breeze is a relief, the humidity rejuvenating them back to life.
“…I’ve never seen anything like this.” Hollyberry says, once she regains the right back to her tongue. “Not even back in Eternal Sugar’s paradise.”
“I-It seems as if they were attacked o-out of nowhere.” Wildberry says between coughs. “Didn’t s-seem to put up a fight at all.”
The pair of statues by the side of the ship prove his point. Both engrossed in passionate conversation, their hands gesticulating to accentuate their story. One’s mouth is left agape, forever trapped in a fit of silent laughter.
“Whoever did this caught these cookies so off guard, they didn’t even have a second to react before they were turned to stone. Which makes me wonder what we're dealing with here.”
Two winged shadows appear on the floorboards below, stretched out by the rising sun. Eternal Sugar flutters down onto the deck, the ship swaying gently under her landing. Still only half awake, she yawns, a hand coming up to cover her mouth. Pulled straight from bed, her long ringlets are matted from a night of tossing and turning, and she hadn’t even gotten a chance to change from her nightgown.
Pavlova trails closely behind her. Instead, he opts to land on the furthest vantage point from the sculptures, still eyeing them cautiously.
The beast’s drowsy eyes skim over each and every one of the statues on board, then finally landing on Hollyberry’s.
“What is this?"
Hollyberry runs a hand through her own disheveled locks. “A trading ship from the Creme Republic marooned ashore, the cookies onboard turned to stone with no clues or hints on what could have caused it. Could you identify who could have done this, or what type of magic we’re working with?”
“I’ll certainly try,” Eternal Sugar frowns, absentmindedly picking at her tangled curls. “This isn’t my particular expertise, but I’ll do my best for you.”
She ambles towards the nearest statue on deck- the cookie standing near the mast, the halyards still gripped tightly in its hands. For a moment, she studies it, circling the cookie to examine it from all angles. Without hesitation, her hand lands on the cookies forehead. With bated breath, the rest of the cookies on board anxiously wait if the stone will crawl across the other’s dough. But, the statue remains still, unmoving and mundane in every way.
“Such an interesting type of stone they picked to ossify these cookies in- granite,” Eternal Sugar mutters, her finger outlining the deep circular groves etched into the cookie’s forehead. “And such ornate designs at that. I’ve never seen this style of detail work before- so archaic!”
“Why is that type of stone so interesting?” Wildberry asks, his arms firmly crossed. Pavlova has decided that the safest place on the ship is with him, cowering behind his back as he peeks over the other’s broad shoulders.
“Well, artisans commonly agree that granite is the most difficult stone to carve. It fights back against the sculptor, having to be pulverized and broken to be formed into the desired design- really only suitable for crude shapes. There’s a reason why I chose marble to turn cookies into my beloved sculptures, after all. Sugar marble effortlessly bends to my whims, my magic easily shaping to cookie forms to capture each every minute detail. Granite is too unwieldy, too challenging to transform cookies into seamlessly. But yet, each and every one of these cookies is perfectly preserved.”
Yawning, Eternal Sugar leans against the mast. “What I’m trying to say is that this caster, whoever they might be, has both a natural aptitude and masterful proficiency in magic- far beyond what our own Soul Jams are capable of. A virtuoso in petrification, if you will.”
“Is there any way to undo it?” Hollyberry presses.
The beast wraps her fingers around the cookie’s forearm. “This isn’t normal petrification. Whenever I turned my cookies to marble, it was always meant to be a temporary preservation of their forms- a fly dipped in amber. But this-” She raps her knuckles on the granite- and nothing rings out. “The stone cuts straight past their dough, the living flow of jam reduced to solid dead granite. No one would be able to undo this type of magic unless the responsible cookie either reversed the curse placed upon them or perished.”
Her lidded eyes come into contact with Hollyberry’s own, her voice tilting downwards. “Unfortunately, my darling, there’s nothing we can do for these poor souls.”
Her words herald not auspicious news like the ancient had hoped, but instead foreboding dread that cuts straight through to her bones. Oblivious to the dangers below, flocks of seagulls in the sky call out to each other while the waves crash into the ship. Nature continues on its steady path, regardless of any of their own actions.
Wildberry is the first to break the spell that has settled over them, his voice thick with apprehension. “Queen Mother, what is the best course of action? All kingdoms will be here within a few short months, and some will be forced to travel by boat. This…affliction could very well spell a disaster for Earthbread, especially so soon after Dark Enchantress.”
Hollyberry hesitates, detesting the feeling of pure helplessness that washes over her- a feeling she’s grown far too familiar with for her own liking. “Well, to tell you the truth…I don’t know. I’ve never heard of anything like this off the top of my head.”
“…If it does help, I suppose it was done as punishment,” Eternal Sugar adds, a cloud condensing with a wave of her hand. She lounges back, tucking in her legs as it bounces back under her weight. “Perhaps they strayed too close to one of the numerous islands in that tropical archipelago-maybe took a rest stop on the wrong shore. It wouldn’t be the first time something strange has come from the Soda Islands.”
“Could it be chalked up to a stray monster attack?”
“Maybe." The beast sighs, tapping a lethargic finger to her chin. “Or maybe not. Unless more ships emerge with these curious statues, we cannot know for certain the cause.”
“Can we assume that whoever did this will contain themselves to the islands?” Wildberry asks, and she tilts her head as she ruminates.
“With no further evidence for the contrary, that would be a safe bet to make.”
Hollyberry wipes away the dust that clings to her dough, lost in thought as she searches for a fitting plan. First things first, someone needed to go reassure her denizens, to give them comfort that she doesn't feel quite right for delivering right now.
“…Eternal Sugar?”
The beast perks up at once, slipping off her cloud to settle back on the ground. “Yes, my dearest?”
“Can you go find the harbormaster and assure him that the situation is being handled?” Hollyberry asks, trying to steady the shaking gait of her voice. “Follow the docks back to the shoreline-should be in the brick building, the one just left of the novelty store.”
She nods, clear exhilaration spreading across her face. “Of course!” Eternal Sugar sings out. On her way out, her hand wraps possessively around the cherub’s wrist. Pavlova doesn’t protest, allowing himself to be guided off the ship.
It isn’t until they’ve made it back to shore where Wildberry decides to speak.
“Queen Mother-we need to place this ship under quarantine at once.” He swirls a murky puddle around with his foot. “Leaving this ship out in the open would spell disaster for the Hollyberry Kingdom.”
The ancient nods. “We’ll assemble the fleet to drag this ship into the far harbor and place it under heavy supervision until further notice. Who knows, these statues could very well spring to life at any moment- waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack!”
Wildberry grimaces, taking a step away from the statue leaning against the wall.
“Ugh, what an utter mess this all is.” Hollyberry laments, massaging her forehead. “I do worry that this isn’t just a one off incident. This threat to Earthbread’s stability must be eradicated as soon as possible!”
“I agree with you on that front; however we know close to nothing about the cause. Without the necessary information, we therefore must exercise severe caution with moving forward.” Wildberry ventures, and she rolls her eyes dramatically. “It’s true, Queen Mother. If Eternal Sugar, a beast baked millennia ago cannot identify the cookie or creature responsible, we could be dealing with something beyond our comprehension.
“Oh, whatever, I do see your point.” She grumbles. “For now, we’ll send a word of caution to bordering nations about venturing onto the Soda Islands, and alert the Crème Republic on the trade ship. Wouldn’t want to ignite any more unnecessary tensions with Clotted Cream Cookie.”
“And what about our own kingdom?” He questions. “The kingdom’s economy depends upon the Soda Ocean. Our merchants would riot in the streets if the crown forbids sea travel, especially at the height of trade season.”
“I’ll work with Royal Berry and Jungleberry about establishing the correct protocols, steering our own ships away from fishing or exploring too deeply in those waters. I wouldn’t want anything to-“
She cuts herself off, her eyes darting into the distance, where the sea stretches vast and endless. Searching foolishly for one ship that she knows is miles away, one that could very well be in the midst of a treacherous disaster, one that she would be powerless to stop. Fear, sharp fear, one that has plagued her for years since that last fateful battle, resurfaces in all of its tumultuous glory.
“Hollyberry-“
"Princess Cookie.” The ancient breaths out, and Wildberry stiffens. “How could my own granddaughter ’s well-being slip past me? What type of grandmother even am I for forgetting her?”
Her stomach cruelly twists around in knots again and again as she taps her fingers on the edge of her shield.
She knows Wildberry to be composed in the worst of times, but even his stoic composure is shaken by the realization. With one shaky exhale, he carefully responds, his voice kept remarkably even. “With all due respect, Queen Mother…we don’t know if she’s in danger. It would be-“
“We must go find her. Right away, as soon as possible. Who knows what could be happening to her out there?”
Wildberry flinches, his gauntlet curling at his side. “Your Majesty, should we leave the kingdom behind so suddenly like this? Royal Berry and Jungleberry Cookie have always had full confidence in Princess Cookie, and they are unlikely to agree with such a rash decision to go find her without substantial evidence.”
His rationale is logical, sound, and reasonable. But she immediately disregards it in favor of indulging in the rising panic that consumes her. “Wildberry, we shouldn’t wait around if a true threat to Earthbread is on the loose. We’ll leave today to go find her at once.”
“Your Majesty, we shouldn’t.” He says, his voice wavering. And Hollyberry pounces.
She fixes him with an unusual desperation, pouring as much of it into her voice as she could. “Wildberry Cookie, come with me . I must rely upon your aid for this mission- to help save our family.”
Wildberry pauses, fighting against himself, his face tight with conflict. In the end, he gives a curt nod.
“…If that’s what we must do, then I’ll work on starting the preparations,” He says in defeat. “I will not let you go alone on this endeavor."
She claps him on the shoulder. “Ah, excellent! I’m glad to hear it.”
He brushes her hand off. “Queen Mother, you do need to inform Royal Berry and Jungleberry about this- I’m sure they would like to hear from you personally before we depart.”
“I will, I will.” Hollyberry grouses. “They won’t like it in the slightest, but they will come around. Eventually.”
Wildberry shoots her a knowing glance that she cannot shrug off so easily.
Before she can confront it, the beast reappears back from the sky. Smoothing down the front of her dress as she lands. Somehow in the few minutes away, she has managed to wrangle her pink curls back into submission. She can't help but admire her, the sight of her alleviating her tensions for a mere moment.
Wildberry opens his mouth, and she waves a hand, anticipating the question before it’s even asked.
“Oh, Pavlova isn’t much for the sea, it seems. Much more fit for the skies than anything else, poor thing is nauseous from only a few minutes on deck.”
Eternal Sugar’s attention shifts to her, and her pink eyes narrow. Frowning, she places her hands on her hips. “My dear Hollyberry Cookie, what has gotten you so worked up? You look so deadly serious, it’s truly not good for you.”
“We’re off to the Soda Islands.”
The beast jerks back. Her pinprick eyes wildly dart between hers and Wildberry’s. “That’s a terrible idea, my dearest! Why would you decide to embark into certain peril?”
“My own granddaughter is in danger out there.” She retorts more sharply than she means to- urgency bleeding into her voice. “I cannot sit around and wait helplessly for her to come back.”
Eternal Sugar falters, her wings flattening against her back. “You must understand, my dearest, the needless danger that you would be exposing yourself to. This type of magic…” Her voice trails off as she gazes at the sculptures. “I would wager it’s powerful enough to turn even you and I to stone. Your half of the Soul Jam would be nothing compared to this.”
“Then come with me.” Hollyberry simply replies. Eternal Sugar balks at the mere suggestion, recoiling back into her own dough. “Oh, why not? It solves all of our problems! We would vanquish this foe with both halves of the Soul Jam- it would be pathetically easy with the two of us together!”
Her tail coils around her leg meekly. “My dear Hollyberry Cookie…I’m afraid you do not grasp the gravity of this situation. Your survival is not wholeheartedly assured, even with our magic combined together. It is strong, yes, but I don’t know if it’s powerful enough to stop this.”
Wildberry has retreated to the far corner of the ship, anxiously waiting to depart. Hollyberry can tell he’s trying his best to avoid eavesdropping- and failing miserably at it.
“Eternal Sugar, of course I do!” She urges. “That’s why I must leave.”
Ever the one to resist, she bites at her lip. Struggling for words, she plays with her hair, the strands dancing nimbly between her fingers. “I-I can understand why you want to leave, my dearest, I truly do. But…I implore you to consider the real possibility that you will not come back this time.” Eternal Sugar says the words with a reserved finality, so confident in their eventual inevitability. A far cry from the panic induced crazes that had once taken hold of her.
The ancient shakes her head. “I won’t abandon my own family once again- I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I did.”
“You are not abandoning her by waiting it.” Eternal Sugar whispers, her voice barely audible above the ocean waves. “But I…and everyone else, cannot bear to lose you. Please…do not throw yourself head first into danger without knowing the dreadful ramifications.”
Hollyberry turns away- unable to look her in the eyes, the influx of terror too much to withstand.
“Eternal Sugar…I-I can’t lose another one.” Her voice cracks, and internally she curses herself. “I just…I can’t.”
The ancient doesn’t dare turn back. Instead, she watches the steady ascent of the sun, the sky turning brilliant shades of amber, rose and gold under its command.
It's warm hues flush the ivory stone, bringing a sense of life that was stolen from them. For a second, she foolishly thinks the granite will crack under the scrutiny of the sun, but they remain frozen- as they will forever be for the rest of time. A fate that will befall her own family if she does not act.
Tentative footsteps creak towards her.
Eternal Sugar wordlessly draws closer to the ancient, as if approaching a wounded animal. Her fingers grasp inwards, a silent plea for her own hands, and Hollyberry acquiesces. Her thumbs stroke over the back in rhythmic circles, the pressure dissipating the tension that has made its home there. “My dearest…is there a date that she’s expected to be back?”
The beast’s sweet scent fills the air, blocking out the persistent smell of rot that still loiters. Her breath hitches. “…Around a few weeks, give or take. But-”
“Why don’t we wait until then?” She suggests, squeezing her hands gently. “If your granddaughter doesn’t return by the end of three weeks, then we can discuss this possibility again. But you must trust for now that she will come back.”
“Wait?” Hollyberry repeats, tearing her hands away at the inane idea. “Why on Earthbread would we wait?”
Eternal Sugar snatches them back to cradle them against her chest. Her sweet scent intensifies, the beast trying to calm her back down. “Your passion is so admirable, my dearest, but patience is not one of your virtues. Right now, there is simply nothing you, I, or anyone else can do.” She beseeches.
“…I never thought I would agree with a beast, but Eternal Sugar is right.” Wildberry coincides. Eternal Sugar shoots him a particularly nasty glare that slides right off him. “Queen Mother, it would be foolish to risk your safety like this. We cannot jump to the worst case scenario with no evidence to support it. Princess Cookie has proven time and time again that she’ll come back- just like you.”
She turns her hands over to knead at her palms, the gentle ministrations enough to further soothe her addled nerves. “If your granddaughter is anything like you, my dearest, I’m sure she’ll make her way back to you.”
Hollyberry lets out a faint chuckle at that. “She is - follows in my own footsteps, that one! Just as big an adventurer as I was back in my day, with an even better head on her shoulders.”
“See!” The beast suddenly snuggles into her side, nodding off into her shoulder. “You truly have nothing to worry about. Everything will be okay.”
She wraps an arm around her to prevent her from tilting over. “Fine, fine, I do see your point. But once these three weeks are up, I’m heading out there myself to find her- no matter what.”
Eternal Sugar winces, her brows furrowing in pain. "Of course, I would expect nothing less from you, my darling.” She whispers, wrinkles smoothing back over as her eyes flutter shut. Choking back a laugh, she realizes that the beast has fallen dead asleep on her feet.
The ancient easily sweeps her up- Eternal Sugar as light as a feather in her arms. “Well then, we should go get this blasted ship locked away. Don’t want any more pandemonium to break out.” She grumbles as she jumps off the ship. “And also we should inform Royal Berry and Jungleberry about this… situation.”
Wildberry follows, scanning the shoreline for a winged figure. “Understood.”
Hollyberry lets out a sigh, shifting Eternal Sugar to a more comfortable position as she strides back. “I hate waiting, sitting around and twiddling my thumbs doing absolutely nothing . Would rather just head out there now to be absolutely certain that she’s alive and well.”
“I would expect nothing less from you. Never known you to accept patience, even when it is sorely needed."
“Oh, quit your complaining, Naggingberry.” She snaps back light-heartedly. “Besides, what important tasks do we even have to attend to here?”
His exasperation is plain as day- barely able to suppress his own sigh. “The ball preparations, Queen Mother- the event that we've been working towards for months now.”
“Come on now, that’s even worse than doing nothing!”
His eyes finally land on Pavlova, who is not so patiently waiting on a crate for their return. “Unfortunately, that’s what you have to look forward to for the next three months.”
“Wonderful.” She drawls. “Absolutely wonderful.”