Chapter Text
The weather in The Great Barren was mild, promising rain that the crops desperately needed. It was perfect conditions to train in for the newest battalion of Kala Namak Knights, and none other than The Herald of Change was there to teach them. The lessons were hard, but the knights took to them like fish to water.
The Salt of Solidarity stood to The Herald’s right, both men watching the progress. “Tell me Herald, are you going to teach them the more advanced methods from The Spice Lands, or do you intend to keep going easy on my knights?”
The Herald barked out a laugh, and turned to the other. “I wanted them to start out liking me Salt, you can’t fault me there.”
Salt turned in kind, and through the sights in his helmet The Herald was able to see a glimmer in his eyes. “They are hungry to learn. In fact, I think they’d prefer you test them.” The Virtue of Change rolled his eyes and used one of his six arms to give the other a light punch on the shoulder.
“They are young, go easy on them.”
“I want to, but the world is not a forgiving place.” The Herald knew this all too well, and he could feel the fire in his own heart dampen a bit at those words. As much positive change as they tried to bring to Earthbread, it felt like nothing was ever truly fixed. The cycle continued no matter how much new knowledge Bluebird found, or how many wishes Flour granted, or how many cookies Sugar pleased. Was it too much to hope that The Kala Namak could be the positive force they were looking for?
Salt brought him out of his gloomy thoughts. “Truly, I appreciate your aid. My knights will be able to pass these skills on for generations to come.”
“It would be no trouble for me to come back and teach them again.” It would give him a break from his incessant subjects and the battles and the endless cycle…
“But you are so busy with your duties.”
As benign a statement as it seemed, The Herald was able to see through it: Salt saw himself asking for help as a burden. Salt so rarely requested aid from his partners, and while all The Virtues were guilty of it from time to time, Salt held the record for holding his hardships to his chest. The Herald didn’t want to outright tell his partner what he saw, he didn't like to be as vulnerable as some of their other partners. But he would tell him in his own way.
“I will make the time for you, it is no burden. You can ask any of us for assistance and we would rush to your side, just as you would for us.” After the words left his lips, they were still too saccharine for his liking and he felt the need to overcompensate. “It helps break up the monotony, anyway.” Salt gave a small breathless laugh at that, and then they turned to watch the knights once more.
They stood together, silent, for what felt like ages. The Herald could tell a world of thought was passing through the other’s mind, thinking of all that could go wrong in the future if he wasn’t strong enough to fulfill his duty. But he was not in this alone. “The two of us don’t have magic like they do. We rely on our strength, and we need to work together to ensure we are not the weak link that allows Cookiekind to fall.”
Salt finally looks to him again. Through the sights in his helmet The Herald is able to make out concerned green eyes. “Will it be enough… to keep them safe?”
He never liked seeing any of his partners in distress, it reminded him of his own failings to protect them and Cookiekind from the tide change. He would be the pillar that protected them from this burden. And in this case, he would take a page from Bluebird’s book to lighten the other's heart. He gave Salt a flirtatious look and asked, “Do you mean the cookies, or our lovers?”
The commander blustered through his response. “Th-the cookies of course.”
The Herald uses one arm to slap him on the back. “I am not one for comfort and flowery words, it’s hard to be when the sands of time wear you down so. But we are strong. We will keep them safe, together.” He finishes the sentiment by taking the other’s hand in his.
Salt’s eyes are glistening by this point, no doubt with unshed tears. The Herald understands the feeling. After their creators mysteriously dropped contact and The Virtues realized the cookies could never truly understand them, the five of them were all each other had left. It was both saddening and comforting, and The Herald would do everything in his power to ensure none of his partners fell under this pressure. Not unless he did first.
Just like The Herald of Change, The Salt of Solidarity was not overly sentimental. He brought his other hand up to his helmet, cleared his throat, and said to the other, “Your hand is- warm. Like an oven.”
At first, The Herald blinked owlishly back at him. Then, a laughter so loud left his mouth it caused the birds in the trees behind them to fly away. Wiping a tear from his eye he said, “You are not one for flowery words either. Let’s leave the poetry to the softer sides of our heart.”
—-
The Salt of Solidarity trekked through an unrelenting spice storm, the crumbs of the fallen here only adding to the jam and debris on his armor. He would have brought Nox, but he didn't want her to have to make this journey. Not to mention what the denizens under The Beast's control would do to an innocent creature if he turned his eye for but a moment. He and his knights dealt with their insatiable hunger for battle over the decades, and after half of their comrades fell in The Great Barren they were no doubt looking to reclaim their honor.
As Salt continued his journey, the winds began to die down and he could finally think a bit more clearly. The battle between himself and this Beast would be a contest of strength and will. The Herald was the first of his lovers to fall, and only after beginning this crusade did Salt start to realize the signs that were always there. The Herald’s insistence around them needing to grow their strength in order to uphold their duty, the conversations they had around morality and the tide of change deviating into hopelessness the closer he got to his descent into destruction. The Herald never said it to Salt outright, but the silent cries for help were always directly in front of his eyes, and he was too blind to see them.
He finally arrived at the temple of The Great Destroyer, and was immediately ambushed by weaker spices. It was child’s play, truly. He easily disarmed those on the sand, and then used his sword to unleash a shockwave that destroyed the archer's higher ground in an instant. He entered the grand doors as rubble fell behind him.
He hadn’t set foot inside The Herald of Change’s temple in centuries, but the remnants of who The Virtue used to be were still there. Murals of a righteous god painted over in smatters of red hues, tapestries of violence and destruction covering stories that once stood for hope and change.
No more flowers or decorations created by kulfi and pig priests, only armor and weaponry from the stronger spice tribes. As he made his way to The Beast’s throne room, he was accosted by those from the Buffalo, Cobra, and Tiger tribes. Not a single member of the clergy in sight, they had all been cast aside when they could not withstand the tide of destruction.
These warriors were well trained, but still no match for his blade. One swing was more than enough to bring them down until one particularly ruthless tiger emerged from the woodwork, clawing and slashing and trying to rile the others up. He dashed behind her in a flash of light, and before she could even turn he broke both of her hind legs and then used the hilt of his sword to knock her unconscious. His memory of her was foggy, but he seemed to recall his lover had some sort of sentimental value for this cub in particular. He wouldn’t end her life, even though it was more than the brute had ever done for him.
After the defeat of this general, the spices realized they were wholly outmatched and began to back away towards the edges of the temple. Salt scoffed at the cowardice he knew his own knights never possessed, and threw open the doors to The Beast’s throne room. There the tyrant was, lounging on his throne without a care in the world. He appeared almost as apathetic as Flour, until he glanced up and a cruel smile began to grace his lips.
“The oh so noble knight has finally made his appearance.” His eyes shifted downward to The Soul Jams situated on the other’s chest. “And stealing candy from defenseless Virtues I see. Haha, what a thrilling turn of events.” The Beast lazily rose from his throne, observing Salt’s transformation.
“I can’t say I’m ecstatic about the changes you’ve undergone.” Salt watches as the man across from him begins stretching out underutilized limbs, cricking his neck from side to side as if they weren’t about to fight to the death. He was preparing for this battle as if they were comrades about to engage in a friendly sparring match, and it angered Salt to no end. The Virtue watches as The Beast lays one hand on the hilt of his axe that was placed against his throne. What once used to be six arms to aid in the growth of his empire were now two tools used solely for ruin.
The Beast of Destruction finally graced him with his full attention once again, and the expression he had on now was downright bloodthirsty. “Change is easier when you don’t have anyone holding you back.” In an instant, the other's laissez-faire attitude is dropped as he fully picks up his axe and lunges at lightning fast speed towards Salt.
The Virtue of Solidarity was ready for this, and held his ground as the other leered over him. Getting a handle on how strong the other now was, Salt pushes back with equal force so they are at eye level. “The others had reason to fall, I want to assume it’s the same for you.”
The look in The Beast’s eyes becomes more manic, and Salt unleashes his power to push the other off of him and across the room. “If that’s not the case, and you truly wish to destroy all cookies for no reason other than your amusement, I will strike you down.” As Salt readies his blade once more, The Beast gives him a malicious sneer in return.
“Oh I had a reason alright. I was bored!”
The response is enough to make Salt drop his guard the slightest bit. “What?” Just enough for the tyrant to lunge at him and run his axe blade over a weak point in Salt’s armor. The Virtue leaps back, and internally winces at the gash on his inner elbow now leaking jam.
The Beast’s grin becomes wider as he begins to circle Salt. “I was bored of this never ending cycle! Born, grow, wither, an endless loop. But this was a nice surprise after years of your absence.” He finally stops circling the other, and Salt feels revulsion as the brute brings his tongue to the blade of his axe and licks the jam off. “Maybe after I defeat you, I’ll let you live and keep you as my personal training dummy.”
The Beast lunges again, but Salt is ready this time. They trade blow for blow as the destroyer continues, “You’re the only one alive who can truly match me! In power! In RAGE!” The blades of their weapons lock together with The Beast above him, and Salt is finally able to see the other’s eyes up close. Despite what the other claims, he can see the fire is fabricated. He can tell the other is still not satiated with this path, and he will show him that no matter the cost.
“I heard what you did to those pathetic whelps in the barren. Didn’t it feel good? To utilize your power to its fullest potential.” Salt saw this as his chance to turn the tide.
“It was quite satisfying.” The Beast is at first shocked, before his expression morphs into evil delight. Only for The Virtue to expel The Bringer of Happiness’ sleep magic directly into the other’s face. The Beast disengages and jumps back, though Salt watches as his limbs become heavier and cannot sustain the full weight of the axe anymore. “But only in the moment. Once it was over, and all that was left was the jam on my hands, I realized it wasn’t the answer.”
The Beast looks up to him, all traces of a smile gone from his face. “Using that wretched sloth on me, hm?” Without looking down, the other picks up a handful of sand - the crumbs of fallen spices - and inhales. A second breath of life enters his dough, though Salt is sure it is only a temporary fix. The Beast readies his axe once more, and bears his fangs as he growls out, “You’re just like the others, weak and deluded enough to believe a discussion can solve our problems.”
He rushes forward again, but Salt has figured out his attack pattern and parries the hit almost effortlessly. “You’ve shown me that sometimes force is necessary. I have a plan to bring Cookiekind under one banner. The Sugar of Happiness and The Flour of Volition have already agreed. Please, join us.”
The Beast’s grip on his axe becomes impossibly tighter. “Too little, too late.”
The Salt of Solidarity feels remorse in his heart as the other begins to futilely fight back, missing or being blocked with each attempted swing. If this was still The Herald he once knew, the other would have more in his arsenal than just brute force. He would have stopped to come up with a plan, found more of Salt’s weaknesses and exploited those. But The Beast in front of him was too angry to see reason. “This isn’t the way!”
The crimson cookie growls out, “You didn’t see it as I did! You always swooped in to play the hero and save the gnats from their self-inflicted destruction, but I had to sit there and watch them make the same mistakes over and over again!” With these words, The Beast’s true feelings reach the surface. Salt finally sees the hopelessness in the other’s eyes, and decides to end the battle. He knocks the axe out of the other’s hands, and The Beast is too shocked to avoid the kick directly to his solar plexus that takes the wind out of him.
“I understand now, you couldn’t control the cycle of change. So instead you set out to destroy it.” The Great Destroyer looks up once more, and the mania is back in full force. Without a thought for his own safety, he grabs onto the blade of Salt’s sword and grapples it out of the other's hold. Salt tries to resist, but damn his emotions get the better of him and stop him from fighting back and further scarring one of his lovers.
The Beast throws the sword to the side, at a steep cost to himself as great gashes on his arms and hands leak jam. His breathing is heavy from the injuries and the sleep powder and the anger he could never fully expel. Seeing his lover covered in jam as the fire in the room dances around them and throws their shadows in every direction, it is now clear to Salt how The Great Destroyer inspired such fear in the spices for nearly a century. He sees why they would follow such a man through such heinous acts, because if they didn’t follow him they would be next.
The Beast races forward once again and they grapple hand to hand. “A philosopher now, IS HE?” Salt’s heart lurches as he watches jam pour down each of their arms, combining into a bloody mess. He did not want- he could not allow this to continue, he would not allow his partner to destroy himself.
“We once used to discuss life and love with our partners. Don’t you want to see them again? To be with them so we can weather the ever changing sands together?”
The Destroyer barks out a laugh and increases his strength, trying to overpower the other with his dwindling supply of energy. “You certainly have been gone a long time. You’ve obviously seen Sugar and Flour, how they locked themselves away in a sweet hell and an eternal slumber. And that fool, he’s been off hiding in his tower for almost as long as you’ve been gone, losing what little mind he has left. Wake up and smell the burnt crumbs: there is nothing left of this relationship.”
Just as The Beast is about to attempt his final push to secure the battle, Salt uses that dreadful sloth again and pushes pink sleep powder directly into his face. Before he can even attempt to back away, The Virtue released his grip and placed something onto The Beast’s head.
The crimson cookie is at first confused, then feels dread pool in his stomach. He reaches up to his head and asks, “What is this-” But watches in shock as his arm cannot complete the action. He is slowly losing the will to control his body, and looks to a shield laying on a pile of his spoils to see his reflection. A strange silk crown lays on his head. It’s airy, and almost feels like the silk Flour would use to weave for them…
As The Beast of Destruction is processing all this, The Salt of Solidarity slowly approaches. “I will do everything I can to mend our bond. For now, I need your help in bringing Cookiekind together.”
The Beast turns to look at him with an incredulous expression, but that is the only action that is truly his own. In his mind he is commanding his body to rush forward, to attack, to maim, but he cannot lift a single finger. He wants to scream and rage, but at the end of the day even without this crown he has no energy to fight back, so he gives a mirthless laugh.
“Flour’s magic is meant to give control, but you’ve found a way to strip cookies of it. You are diabolical Salt. I’m almost impressed.” He gnashes his teeth, furious at the situation and attempting to break free once again even though he feels his mind starting to cloud over. "It was a good plan, going after them first. Almost as good as something that jester would come up with. It was smart you saved him for last, the only way you could defeat him is with all of our Soul Jams.”
Salt watches as a light mist begins to overtake the other’s eyes. “I intend to set us all on a righteous path once more.” The Beast huffs out, and Salt can mentally feel the other fighting back for control.
“What, and then you’ll put one of these on him?” Salt loosens the reins only a fraction, allowing The Beast to merely touch the crown. As he makes contact, an electric shock rattles his body and he yanks his hand down. “AHHHH!” The Beast realizes the other only allowed him to touch the thing to teach him a lesson, like he was trying to train a wild animal. The Beast musters what he hoped was an arrogant expression, but knew came out slightly broken. “It won’t work on him, he’ll be able to find a way out of it. And then we’ll destroy everything you hold dear.”
“Everything I love has already been destroyed, except for you four.” The Beast sneers, wanting to call out the lie because this abandoner did NOT love them, but being unable to as he feels his mouth begin to seal shut. He can no longer even control the muscles in his face as Salt continues in a factual tone, “If he doesn’t wish to be a part of the new order, I’ll simply have to rid him from this world.”
The words make The Beasts jam go cold. Salt was willing to kill Bluebird, and after this fight he believed it could be possible. He knew using the rest of his energy would mean his mind would be lost to these powers, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He rallied all of his strength and anger and raised his fists above his head. Throughout his entire existence, Salt had never seen the man he loved as enraged and murderous as he was now.
“DON’T YOU LAY A FINGER ON BLUEBIRD!” Before the fists could fall, The Beast’s mind succumbed completely. The arms returned to his side, and a blank expression graced his face, as if the anger present but a moment ago completely evaporated.
The Salt of Solidarity looks upon the other both satisfied and conflicted. Flour’s magic had worked, but at a great cost. He reminded himself they needed to do this to bring The Herald back, to ensure the cookies were safe. He sighed, and brought a hand to the other’s face. “It seems you still hold some affection for us yet.” The stance the other held, it reminded him of his knights. Ready to take orders and defend the peace of the land. He would put The Herald to righteous use.
“I still love him as I love you, as I love the others. I will try my best to make him see the light.” The Virtue places a hand on the other’s chest, and yanks The Soul Jam from its resting place. It is dripping with jam, as is the hole where it once rested. He first brings his palm up to heal the other’s chest, and then situates the jewel below his own Soul Jam before connecting it with a flash of light. “A sturdy base,” he whispers out.
The Salt of Solidarity once again brings his hand to the other’s face, and makes their eyes meet. The emptiness breaks his heart, but he would not falter now. “You will be a mighty protector for our kingdom.”