Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had been a month since Gingerbrave, his friends, and Pure Vanilla had defeated Dark Enchantress Cookie, allowing them to reclaim the Vanilla Kingdom from Darkness’s grasp. Despite their first real victory against the forces of evil, there was still much to be done about the state of the Vanilla Kingdom itself, since it had remained in huge disarray due to the aftermath of the Dark Flour War for many generations. Gingerbrave and his friends had decided that they could lend a helping hand at least for a few months until they could restore the Vanilla Kingdom to at least a state where the ground wouldn’t suddenly crumble underneath their feet. As Pure Vanilla had abdicated as ruler over the Vanilla Kingdom, Gingerbrave, his friends, Pure Vanilla, Black Raisin, and the other villagers had collectively decided to split the necessary tasks of restoring the kingdom by each Cookie’s abilities.

The task that had been given to Strawberry Cookie was to walk around, inspect parts of the Vanilla Kingdom, and report on anything unusual that Strawberry might happen to see. Strawberry had quietly sighed with relief when she first heard what task she had been assigned. It didn’t require too much physical energy, and it allowed her some quiet time to herself if she needed it. Up until now, she had explored almost the entirety of the Vanilla Kingdom, except for one specific area that she had been purposefully avoiding.

Strawberry Cookie glanced nervously at the heaps of metal scraps, entangled mechanical limbs, and scattered nuts and bolts that were littered around her. She probably would have to request Wizard to help her write a letter to one of the other cookies back at home to help move all of this out.

Muscle Cookie would probably be able to lift all of this up, right?

Strawberry Cookie frowned as she walked down the path, trying to ignore everything around her. She was self-conscious of every step she made forward, and she constantly looked back over her shoulder, expecting a Wafflebot to suddenly burst out from the rubble. But there was only the sound of her footsteps hitting the pavement and an occasional sigh that would escape her lips. She could have asked one of her friends to come along with her, but she didn’t want to bother  and distract them from the tasks they needed to focus on. Strawberry had to steel herself to keep going. The sooner...the better.

I need to get this done quickly...this place scares me...

Strawberry slowed to a stop as she noticed that the heaps of disassembled mechanical parts were shrinking. She could see the entrance of the Wafflebot factory several feet away, and she began to shiver. What if she accidentally caused a Wafflebot to activate in the warehouse and no one was there to help? What if there was another of those Wafflebot Goliaths, which they had been forced to flee from the first time Gingerbrave and co. encountered one? Her stomach churned at the memory of being chased by the Wafflebot Goliath, but Strawberry forced herself to pause from the scary thoughts flooding her brain.

Deep breath in...deep breath out...

You can do this. Well I hope so.

Strawberry Cookie tiptoed one step into the factory and hesitated before slowly taking another step forward. She immediately breathed a sigh of relief. One obstacle down. She examined her surroundings. Everything seemed to be relatively the same since the first time she had been here, except for the obvious absence of the Wafflebot Goliath. Keeping a wary eye out and constantly looking over her shoulder, Strawberry nervously walked past multiple types of Wafflebots and scattered blueprints of their designs before suddenly stopping as she realized that she had entered a completely unfamiliar section of the factory.

Did I not pay enough attention last time...or did we miss this completely due to our incident with the Wafflebot Goliath? ...I should have brought someone along with me...

Strawberry stood completely still, glancing around nervously. This section was far less organized than the previous sections of the factory and resembled more of the heaps of junk outside of the factory. There was, however, something not quite right that Strawberry couldn’t quite catch, and it stumped her until her ears picked up on a small sound. She slowly looked upwards towards the ceiling, where there were many tiny gears rotating. To her chagrin, she could also hear small grinding noises, and she pulled her hoodie downwards, hoping the noise would stop, to no avail.

Strawberry slowly began to walk without a sense of direction, as she needed to inspect everything (unfortunately). She kept staring up at the cogs on the ceiling, still bothered by the sight of them and also by something that she wasn’t completely aware of yet. She came across a table splattered with spilled ink and more blueprints. Examining the blueprints, it seemed to be even more designs that Strawberry could not make much sense of. She stared at the ink all over the table, frowning as she struggled to pinpoint why the pools of ink seemed to bother her. Then, realization crashed into her with full force, and she grimaced as her eyes widened.

The ink’s fresh...which means that someone was here recently. I want to go back now...but I’m not even done yet...

Strawberry quickened her pace as she began to quickly examine everything around her. More heaps of robotic parts and limbs she didn’t want to touch or see. Cogs and gears littered all over the floor to the point where she had to watch her step so she wouldn’t trip on them. More blueprints that she didn’t know how to make heads or tails of. A small door next to her as she’s walking along the railing.

Wait. A door?

Strawberry turned back around and examined the door. It seemed to be a simple door which greatly contrasted with the intricate design of everything else , except the door seemed relatively a lot smaller than normal. Thankfully, it seemed that she would be able to fit through. There also was peculiarly a lack of a door handle and was instead replaced with some sort of small pad the size of Strawberry’s floury hands. She poked the pad with her Strawberry Lollipop, which failed to provoke a response. At least it didn’t explode or electrocute her. Strawberry hesitated before slowly reaching her hand out and placing it flat onto the pad.

A red light emanated from the pad and seemingly appeared to perform some sort of scan, although Strawberry felt nothing. There was a tiny click, and the door swung open. Strawberry stared at the door before taking a deep breath in. What if this was a trap? What if she couldn’t get out? She shook her head. If that happens...then so be it. She still had a task to complete, and she didn’t want to drag more cookies down with her. She counted to 3 with her fingers and then walked inside.

The door remained open, which Strawberry was instantly happy about. She at least wasn’t doomed to be trapped inside this room for eternity. Strawberry turned her attention to inspecting the room she had entered. She ignored even more junk heaps and instead focused on the things that stood out. There was surprisingly a small bed in the corner and  a blanket that seemed to have been hastily thrown onto the floor. She looked across the room and walked over to a desk with books, papers, and a surprisingly decreased amount of blueprints strewn all over the surface.

A buzzing noise caught her attention, and she turned around to face what seemed to be a giant electronic screen that was turned on. Approaching closer to it, she saw that there was a keyboard and another pad that was much larger than the one on the door idly sitting on a table in front of it. She placed her hand on this pad and watched a cursor in the shape of a strawberry pop up on the screen. She moved her hand around, and the cursor mimicked the directions in which her hand was moving.

It’s a giant computer...I didn’t know this type of technology existed here...

She firmly placed a hand over the mouse and clicked on a random icon with the caption “LOG” underneath it. The screen opened a window with several files that seemed to be labeled by dates except for one file that was named “WELCOME.” Strawberry hesitated for a moment, hovering the mouse over on the file icon. On one hand, Strawberry was absolutely certain that everyone would want to see this and the information these files contained. On the other hand, Strawberry had not forgotten about the fact that there was someone visiting this place besides her. If she left now, the person might come back before she managed to find someone and realize that their room had been breached. She might not be able to access the room again, and her task had been to inspect everything.

I...I think I’ll...

Strawberry double-clicked on the file icon. The screen turned pitch black, and Strawberry stood there, a little confused. Did she mess up and break something? She hoped not, but what if she did? She didn’t mean to. She was just trying to-

“Testing! 1, 2, 3! Testing!” A familiar voice chirped up from the screen.

Strawberry Cookie flinched at the voice, recalling a certain pink haired child that Gingerbrave and co. had met while they had traveled through the Vanilla Kingdom to find Dark Enchantress.

...Strawberry Crepe Cookie...?

“Hmm...I haven’t fully examined the technology for this yet, so I’ll have to check later. But anyways! I’m Strawberry Crepe Cookie as it says on the label on my cryobaking pod, ehehe! I just woke up from my cryobaking pod 2 hours, 37 minutes and 15 seconds ago.”

Strawberry Cookie nervously fidgeted as she remembered how Strawberry Crepe Cookie was able to accurately measure the exact amount of ingredients that composed each and one of her friends. Apparently, he had the same ability to measure time. How exactly was he doing that?

“I seem to have woken up alone. I’ve gathered a small amount of information about where I am mostly from my brain but also from the books sitting on that desk over there. Let’s see... the place I’m currently in is called the Vanilla Kingdom. There is currently supposed to be around a total population of 173 cookies living here with 1 of them being the person who rules over them. ...Huh? But I haven’t seen anyone yet though? ...Strange. Anyways, I’m going to thoroughly examine this computer after I finish up recording this! And then I’m going to take a look around! Maybe I’ll meet someone on my way there! Can’t wait to see what this “Vanilla Kingdom” has to offer! I’m sure it’s going to be lots of fun! Ehehe, bye-bye!”

Strawberry winced at the sudden zapping noise that signified the end of the recording, and she clicked back to the window of the file folder where the voice recording was placed in. She quickly scrolled down to count how much voice recordings she needed to get through.

...53. That’s so many...I can’t give up though.

Strawberry Cookie set her resolve as she dragged the cursor towards the next file and clicked on it.

Chapter Text

Log: Day 1

It had been exactly 24 hours and 15 minutes since my first technical recording. I’ve now explored the area that’s outside of this room. It’s quite fascinating actually! Lots of robots all over the place! I’m not sure why, but it brings a huge smile to my face! I’d love to get a closer look at them, but something keeps telling me that I’m not allowed to go near them. A little voice nagging at me in my head. It’s really annoying actually. I wish it would shut up. What’s wrong with me examining the robots? They look so cool! I wouldn’t do anything wrong!

The closest way I have to studying them is reading the blueprints that have been left all over this place for the time being. I’ll start with that for now. Maybe with the blueprints, I could build one myself? Tee-hee! I’m going to get started right now! Ehehe!

Log: Day 2

36 hours, 48 minutes, and 20 seconds from last recording! I’ve read through all the blueprints that I could find here! Apparently, these robots are called Wafflebots! It’s quite a dumb name, but that is nothing compared to just how cool these robots are! There are several different types of Wafflebots based on their assigned function. My favorite is the Wafflebot Goliath! It’s huge compared to all the other Wafflebots! I wonder what it’s capable of, he he!

Unfortunately, the blueprints also lists all the key functions that these robots are automated to perform...and they’re really boooooooooooooooring. Wafflehouse construction...Hauling...Kingdom defense... Okay the last one sounds actually decent, but the rest? Where’s the FUN in any of this? I thought they’d be doing things that were...more exciting! I haven’t actually thought of anything specific yet. But I know all of these robots can do SO MUCH MORE! It’s a feeling I have in my gut! What a waste of potential!

I don’t think there’s much I can really do for now. I think the next thing on my to-do list should be...AH-HA! I should probably look around outside of this building. I haven’t actually seen what the Vanilla Kingdom looks like yet. And I STILL haven’t seen anyone. Where even are they? Are they hiding somewhere or what? Anyways, if I find someone, I will DEFINITELY ask if they know how to operate these robots. There has to be someone who has the information I’m looking for, right?

I’m feeling a little sleepy, so night-night! Looking forward to tomorrow!

Log: Day 3

28 hours, 36 minutes, and 18 seconds! I think I don’t need to say how long it’s been every single time, but I like keeping track! It’s also quite easy to calculate the amount of time from one recording to another; it comes quite naturally to me! This is absolutely not what I was planning to talk about.

Now to the important matter at hand! I decided to head out through the entrance of this place I’ve been staying in, and traveled what I figured was south. The place is...empty. Dull. Dead. I couldn’t complete the objective that I had stated in yesterday’s recording. There doesn’t seem to be a single trace of a soul here. The only interesting thing to remember is that the buildings all seem dilapidated and damaged from some sort of HUGE fight. I wonder how they got damaged. Must have been very exciting!

I also reached a towering gate, which I think is supposed to mark that I’m at the entrance of the kingdom. It looks so much more grand than the cemetery of a kingdom I’m currently standing in. Hopefully the entire kingdom won’t disappoint me as much as it has so far. Outside of the gates, the path leads to a circle pad that’s pretty close to the edge. Apparently, this kingdom has somehow managed to keep itself afloat in the sky for the entire time, which is actually the first  and quite possibly the last interesting thing this kingdom has to offer apart from the Wafflebots.

I stared down over the edge, and honestly I think I’ll stay up here. Not like I knew how to get down, but whatever is underneath this kingdom looks so dreary and dull from up here. I don’t plan on traveling down there anytime soon, especially when I don’t have any means of being able to return. Regardless, I am back here in this room, as I recall the layout of what I’ve seen today. I’m drawing it out for future reference on some of the blank pages in one of the books lying down around here. Even though I have a very clear image of the area’s layout, I have a feeling a visual would help.

Tomorrow I’m heading north of this place. Let’s hope I’ll find something fun this time.

Strawberry closed the third voice recording and was about to click onto the next file when it crossed her mind that she should check the time. She instinctively rolled up her sleeve a tiny bit to reveal a simple, pink wristwatch in the shape of a strawberry.

5:57 pm. I have around 10-15 minutes before it’s time for dinner with everyone...and it’s such a long trip back...

Strawberry took her hand off the pad and sighed. She’d have to come back later to finish this, and unfortunately it would probably happen across the span of multiple days. There was no way she was going to finish listening through the rest of the recordings in one day. She picked up her strawberry lollipop, which had been leaning against the table, and turned around, only to stiffen as she glanced down at a claw made of strawberries just centimeters away from poking her neck.

“Oh hello there!” Strawberry Crepe Cookie said as they gave Strawberry a grin. Strawberry’s eyes widened a little as Strawberry Crepe’s strawberry closer inched a little closer to her neck. “It’s been a little while, hasn’t it? Is everyone else with you?”

“N-no...” Strawberry answered nervously, being unable to help but stare at the strawberry claw that surprisingly hadn’t impaled her yet. She hesitated, tightening her grip around her lollipop before continuing to speak. “I though you left...after we fought Dark Enchantress... What are you doing here?” Strawberry felt her other hand begin to shake a little and clenched it into a tight fist.

“Checking up on the Wafflebots!” Strawberry Crepe answered gleefully as he floated a little bit off the ground momentarily. “Some of the Wafflebots usually require a good amount of high-quality maintenance in order for them to stay functional, which is something I highly doubt any of you could even provide. Honestly, I could ask you the same question. After all, you’re in MY room, which you shouldn’t even have access to in the first place. So how did you enter, hm?”

Strawberry instinctively flinched as Strawberry Crepe’s claw got even closer. She turned her backwards, and grimaced as she stared at Strawberry Crepe’s other claw pointed at her face.

Well...shoot. I can’t run...I shouldn’t have let my guard down...

“I”ll answer your question...if you put away your giant claws away,” Strawberry answered after several minutes of silence. She turned back towards Strawberry Crepe, who was frowning slightly with their arms crossed.

“Your response was too slow,” They grumbled before their grin reappeared on their face. “But I’m okay with that! As long as you’re promising that you’re NOT going to try to escape first, right?”

“Yeah,” Strawberry mumbled as she waited expectantly for Strawberry Crepe to retreat their claws. Instead, Strawberry Crepe stepped a lot closer to Strawberry and leaned forward.

“Sorry, I couldn’t hear that?” Strawberry Crepe’s grin widened as they held a hand up to their ear. “Could you repeat that just ONE more time?”

“I won’t try to run off,” Strawberry enunciated more firmly and loudly, sighing with relief as she watched the claws finally move away from her. She frowned, staring at Strawberry Crepe who was still standing really close to her, their grin unwavering. “Did you have to do that?Also, can you please back off? I don’t feel very comfortable...”

“Well, you’re always hiding, you know?” Strawberry Crepe replied and immediately jumped a few feet back. “I’ve already mentioned this before, but it would be better if you came out of your shell! There’s a lot more fun possibilities when you don’t limit yourself like that! Or at least, that’s what I think anyways.” Strawberry Crepe Cookie spread out their arms wide in a demonstration.

“Yeah but...like I’ve said then...I like this though...” Strawberry said. “Can we...not talk about this right now?” Strawberry Crepe poured a little before shrugging and giving a quick nod.

“Well, it doesn’t seem like you’ll be changing your mind anytime soon,” Strawberry Crepe said as he sat down on the floor. “So, hurry up and answer my question before I get impatient! We stalled quite a bit there!”

“Ok, I’ll try to make this quick,” Strawberry said as she also sat down on the floor. “Um basically, I found your room while I was exploring the Wafflebot factory. I placed my hand on the pad outside the door to your room and it let me in. I found your computer and started listening to your logs.” She watched Strawberry Crepe lower their head and mutter to themselves for a few moments before looking back at Strawberry with a slight frown on their face.

“Hmm...maybe there’s a malfunction?” Strawberry Crepe questioned. They unconsciously began to tap the ground with their finger as they began to talk more rapidly. “The pad’s supposed to scan your dough, looking for specific ingredients that when identified, would act as an unlocking mechanism. Hypothetically, you shouldn’t have been granted access due to your dough’s composition lacking actual strawberries. I’ll have to thoroughly check through the system after you leave.”

Strawberry nodded along, even though she did not quite understand fully what they meant as some of the words flew over her head. She decided to fiddle with her sweater sleeve, pulling it down just enough where she caught a glimpse of her watch.

6:20. Shoot, I’m late! I need to go now... I’ll have to apologize to everyone when I get back...

“Hey, what are you looking at?” Strawberry Crepe piped up as they noticed Strawberry staring at her watch. They scooted over and peered down at her wrist before reaching out and removing her wristwatch so quickly that Strawberry Cookie didn’t even notice until she blinked and glanced up at Strawberry Crepe fumbling with the watch in their hands.

“Can you give that back?” Strawberry asked, irritated. She tried to swipe her watch back, but Strawberry Crepe used his giant claw arm to lift up the watch out of her reach. “I really need to go back...like right now...”

“Oh, don’t worry!” Strawberry Crepe said as they ran over to their desk, swept a bunch of papers and books onto the floor, and pulled oh a box from underneath the desk. “This should be really, really, really quick! I’m giving your watch a bit of an upgrade! And it’s not the explosive type of upgrade, although I can absolutely install that if you want!”

“No thank you,” Strawberry muttered as she peeked over Strawberry Crepe’s shoulder. Strawberry Crepe’s hands along with their giant claw arms rapidly deconstructed her watch and rapidly began to rebuild it with some added parts right in front of her eyes. After a few minutes, Strawberry Crepe whipped around and proudly showed off the upgraded wristwatch, which didn’t look very different other than a new tiny button on the bottom.

“Okay, press the button!” Strawberry Crepe Cookie said, their eyes sparkling. “I promise there will be a 0% chance of actual damage occurring.” Strawberry gulped and hovered her finger over the button and slowly pressed the button. A blue holographic screen popped up, showcasing a few buttons.

“Okay, quick rundown of the upgrades I installed on your wristwatch!” Strawberry Cookie exclaimed as he held up his fingers. “One! A very basic two-way communication system that will only be able to connect to one device! Luckily, I already made something similar to the device you’re holding out of sheer boredom a while ago, so we can talk to each other now. Two! A voice recorder! Three! The watch now contains a simplistic map of the entire kingdom, and all significant locations should be marked. Does that sound cool or what?”

“Um thanks, although next time you should probably ask first,” Strawberry replied, putting her wristwatch back on. “Okay, I really need to go now, so I’m going to-“

“One last thing!” Strawberry Crepe Cookie interjected as he spread his arms and giant claw arms wide open, effectively blocking Strawberry’s path. “I need you to make a deal with me.”

I don’t have time for this...

“Are you serious right now?” Strawberry muttered to herself before raising her voice. “Fine. What do you want...?”

“You still want to finish listening to my logs right?” Strawberry Crepe asked. “So I propose this: I’ll allow you to keep listening to them. Maybe you’ll find them interesting! I don’t really mind. On the other hand, you’re not allowed to tell anyone else that I’ve been periodically hanging around here, and you have to help me with moving the Wafflebots out of the Vanilla Kingdom from here on out. I presume you don’t have time to listen to an explanation, so I’ll explain at a later date!”

“And what if I don’t accept this deal?” Strawberry slowly asked.

“Well,” Strawberry Crepe paused for a brief moment before he smiled. “First of all, I’m locking this computer, so you won’t be able to access the logs. Second, I might have to keep you in here for a little while until I know you won’t sell me out. Can’t let the rest of you find out I’m here!  I do doubt I can actually keep you trapped for very long though. Third, I’ve been working on more enhancements on both my giant claw arms and the Wafflebots between the time we last fought and now, and I’d LOVE to test them out as soon as possible! Right now even!”

Strawberry stood still, her thoughts racing through every possibility and outcome that she could think of. Her chances of actually beating Strawberry Crepe in a fight were probably slim. She doubted that she’d somehow find a way through the giant claw arms blocking her path. Yet, she did not want to accept Strawberry Crepe’s terms for mainly two reasons: she did not want to be near any Wafflebot, yet alone help Strawberry Crepe move them and also...she didn’t want to keep secrets from her friends. Thinking about that gave her a sinking feeling in her stomach. She pulled her hoodie over her face as she tried to come to a decision.

I...don’t know what to do...Both of these options aren’t ideal...but do I really have a much of a choice then?

Strawberry slowly stood up and held out her pinky, still gripping onto her lollipop with the other. Strawberry Crepe’s eyes seemed to go blank for a second before its shine returned, and they leapt up, grinning.

“Okay, I accept.” Strawberry said.

“And you won’t regret it!” Strawberry Crepe cheered. They stared at Strawberry’s hand for a moment and then looked back at Strawberry, confused. “What are you doing?”

“Oh um...do you not know what a pinky promise is?” Strawberry asked. Strawberry Crepe shook their head. “Okay...so basically we hold pinkies and we make a promise. And you’re not allowed to break it.”

“Ooh interesting! Never heard of that!” Strawberry Crepe said as they extended their pinky outwards and interlocked theirs with Strawberry’s. “How long are we supposed to hold this for?”

“Just a few seconds, so you can let go now,” Strawberry replied. Strawberry Crepe’s giant claw arms finally disappeared, and she felt the tension in her slowly unwind. “Anyways, I really should go. ...See you later...” She gave Strawberry Crepe a small wave before heading out the door.

“Bye-bye!” Strawberry could hear Strawberry Crepe’s voice as she walked out of their room. “I have a feeling that the upcoming weeks are going to be quite interesting, ehehe!” Their laughter began to fade away as Strawberry quickened her pace. Right now, she needed to meet back with the others as quickly as possible and apologize to them for arriving late to dinner. They were probably worried sick. She’d think about what had just happened with Strawberry Crepe later.

I hope I made the right decision...

Chapter Text

When Black Raisin and the other people from her village began the process of adjusting to their new life in the Vanilla Kingdom, everyone had decided that one of their first priorities was to make sure everyone who would be a permanent resident of the newly reinstated Vanilla Kingdom had at least a roof over their head. The villagers decided to reside in the previously abandoned city located in the middle of the Vanilla Kingdom with the exception of Black Raisin and a few others, who stayed in the houses near the kingdom’s entrance. There was still a few issues about food and supplies, as upon further examination of all the vacant houses in the Kingdom, everyone found out that a lot of the food had become spoiled after being left unattended for so long. On some mornings, Black Raisin and the small group of villagers staying with her would travel back down to their village to gather some food if rations happened to be running short that day.

After deciding that they would help rebuild the Vanilla Kingdom for a temporary period of time, Gingerbrave and his friends had decided to stay in the same area where Black Raisin and her group were. After all, it would be nice for Black Raisin to have more company! At least, that was what Gingerbrave said at the time of picking their residency. Strawberry, on the other hand, was more grateful that she would be interacting with less people than she anticipated.

Two weeks passed since Strawberry’s encounter with Strawberry Crepe Cookie, and Strawberry found herself sitting in her bedroom more often. After she had hurriedly returned to where Gingerbrave and her friends always met up for dinner, she profusely apologized and vaguely said that she had been unexpectedly preoccupied with her inspection. It was the best way to explain her tardiness to her friends without mentioning Strawberry Crepe Cookie. Luckily, no one had pressed her for more details on what had happened.

“Don’t worry!” Gingerbrave had stated reassuringly, handing Strawberry a bowl of jelly stew. “Everyone really appreciates your effort, you know?! I’m sure of it! But if it gets too difficult, you can always ask us for help, okay?”

Strawberry lied down in her bed, staring blankly at the window showcasing a clear sunny sky. She wondered what her friends would have done if they had been in her situation. Chili Pepper would have probably managed to find a way to escape without Strawberry Crepe noticing. Wizard seemed to surprisingly be pretty knowledgeable on the Vanilla Kingdom, and even if he had limited knowledge on the Wafflebots, Strawberry was confident that Wizard would have figured something out eventually on his own with his magic. Custard...yeah she was going to skip figuring out that one. Gingerbrave would most likely have refused Strawberry Crepe’s deal regardless of whether he would be able to escape from Strawberry Crepe’s room. His unwavering resolve was something that Strawberry had always admired and secretly envied.

But would they have agreed with my decision?

Before Strawberry could further ponder on the question, she felt something vibrate on her wrist, which was then accompanied by a small buzzing sound. Strawberry pulled down her sleeve a little, did a quick glance of her surroundings just to make sure no one was around, and hesitated before pressing the button on her watch. A small, blue holographic screen with the words “Incoming Message” inscribed on it and accept and reject buttons underneath it immediately popped up, and Strawberry hastily pressed the accept button.

“Oh it works! It works!” Strawberry Crepe’s voice exclaimed quite loudly, causing Strawberry to wince a bit. “And you picked up this call pretty quickly too! Fantastic! Anyways, I want you to come over right away! Pronto!”

“Can you slow down?” Strawberry said, already exasperated. “Why exactly are you calling me over exactly at this instant? I’d like to know before I head over.”

“No time for questions!” Strawberry Crepe replied. “Time is of the essence, as they say! Isn’t that a cool phrase? Oh, also the sooner you show up, the better! I get quite impatient easily, if I haven’t emphasized that already.”

“Fine.” Strawberry muttered as she slumped out of bed and headed into the kitchen, where she hastily threw several jellies and small slices of bread into a crinkled brown paper bag. It wouldn’t hurt to bring a snack over, especially since she wasn’t sure how long Strawberry Crepe wanted her to stick around. “I’ll be over there as soon as possible.”

“You better be!” Strawberry Crepe said, giggling. “After all, we made a pinky promise, remember? You know, the thing you showed me how to do? I repeat! The sooner, the better! Bye-bye!” There was a sharp buzz, and then the blue holographic screen dissipated.

Strawberry sighed as she grabbed her lollipop that had been propped up against the wall next to her bed and headed out of the house. She glanced up at the sky above her. Still clear and sunny aka nearly the exact opposite of her state of mind.

Hopefully...everything will turn out alright. At least for today.

She couldn’t help but notice her sporadic heartbeat, however , as she began sprinting north.

“Finally! Took you long enough!” Strawberry Crepe chirped as they turned around to greet Strawberry, who immediately slumped over on the wall to her left.

“I...ran as fast as I could...” Strawberry huffed, exhausted after pushing herself to run the entire way to the Wafflebot factory. Maybe she should work out while she was staying here. She could really use some more endurance.

“Bet I could run the same amount as you without losing my energy!” Strawberry Crepe said, smirking before beginning to walk deeper into the Wafflebot factory. “Anyways, let’s head to my lab now! I was testing some of the Wafflebots out before I had the grandest idea to make good on our deal and invite you along! I’m sure you’re going to love it!”

“Okay, just let me...catch my breath for a bit,” Strawberry said as she put up one finger to indicate 1 second. If she had a choice, she would have closed her eyes and clocked out right then and there, but Strawberry Crepe would not accept that and also it would be the worst time to do so.

“Oh, are you still tired?” Strawberry Crepe said as they walked back towards Strawberry, grabbed her wrist, wiggled her arm for a bit, before letting it go. “Hmm, joints seem to be strained and sore, and dough seems to be a little more crumbly. Well! If you’re not feeling up for it, I can carry you! My strawberry arm is perfect for that!”

“Uh...strange of you to offer, but also...no thank you,” Strawberry quickly shook her head before heaving herself off the wall. The last thing she wanted at the moment was for Strawberry Crepe to lay a single finger on her. Something would probably end up going wrong somehow. “I’ll walk, actually...”

“Okay, if you say so!” Strawberry Crepe said as they began zooming north. Strawberry stood still for a moment before begrudgingly picking up her lollipop and slinging it over her shoulder.

“Seriously, slow down,” Strawberry sighed as she began trudging after Strawberry Crepe. There wasn’t really much of a use to actually say that, considering there was at least 20 feet in distance between them probably. Still, she really would like Strawberry Crepe to at least listen to her for more than 5 seconds. She continued to slowly follow Strawberry Crepe for a good while until she finally caught up to him, standing with their arms crossed at what seemed to be a dead end of a corridor. They pouted as Strawberry finally reached them and stood next to them.

“You took too long again,” Strawberry Crepe grumbled as he turned to his left and starting poking at something on the wall. Strawberry figured it was some sort of pad, but she didn’t feel like turning her head to check.

“I know, but I’m also tired?” Strawberry muttered. Was Strawberry Crepe always going to heckle her for the amount of time it took to get to her destination? “And you were aware of that, too...”

“You said that you needed to catch your breath for a moment, so I figured you would have regained your energy sooner at least,” Strawberry Crepe whined. They shook their head and then turned around, smirking at Strawberry briefly. “I guess I overestimated you, huh?”

Strawberry no longer felt like responding so she simply lowered her hoodie to cover her face and zipped her mouth. It was tiring having to go along with what Strawberry Crepe wanted right now, especially when it seemed that they were only focused on whatever they wanted to do with no regards to anything else. Was this even in her best interest in the long run? It better be...she could have been taking a well-needed nap or maybe checking on her friends to see how they were doing with their work, but no, instead she was following someone she didn’t exactly want to hang around with to a place she was already not looking forward to visiting. She also had to cross her fingers and hope that she could really trust Strawberry Crepe’s word.

Strawberry, attempting to keep her gaze averted away from Strawberry Crepe, glanced down at the ground and realized that both of them seemed to be standing on something. The light here was much more dim, so Strawberry squinted to see if she could make out what they were standing on. She was unable to, but she felt like it looked somewhat familiar. Suddenly, a bright neon blue light erupted from beneath her feet. Bewildered, Strawberry turned around to stare at Strawberry Crepe, who was grinning.

“Looks cool, right?” Strawberry Crepe said as they suddenly grabbed Strawberry’s hand. “Anyways, I think we should be able to get there in one piece!”

“U-um, what do you mean by “in one piece?” Strawberry whimpered.

“You’ll see!” Strawberry Crepe vaguely replied, as he grinned. That answer did not relieve any of Strawberry’s concerns at all. The ground began to vibrate, and Strawberry’s heart jammed in her chest. What was going on?

I did not sign up for this. No. Actually I did, and I am very regretting it right now. What am I doing here? Why did I even make a deal with them? What am I even thinking? Calm down. How do I calm down right now? Is this even worth it? Should I try to leave? ...I’m leaving.

Strawberry yanked her hand away from Strawberry Crepe and began to use the last of her energy to sprint forward. However, she lost her balance, stumbled and fell over as the ground began to shake more violently. The neon blue light filled her vision, and a tingly sensation began to course through her body. Something suddenly wrapped around her waist and seemed to pull her backwards. She wasn’t sure anymore. She could see nothing but neon blue.

Maybe this is the one time I really needed to  trust Strawberry Crepe, huh?

And then everything turned completely pitch black.

Chapter Text

“What are you doing out here?”

Strawberry felt a small tap on her shoulder and glanced to her right as Gingerbrave sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around his knees. She stayed silent and looked up at the night sky she had been watching for…a while, if she had to guess. Today had been…certainly eventful dealing with Pomegranate Cookie and releasing the Sugar Swan from the curse it had fallen under, and it had significantly tired Strawberry out…yet, she was only able to toss and turn as she could not help but think about what had transpired.

“I couldn’t sleep…so I decided to get some fresh air.” Strawberry replied, continuing to stare up at the sky. “Today…was a lot. But also I can’t stop thinking about…” Her hands clenched as she began to shake a little from remembering something. Gingerbrave seemed to want to say something, but instead slowly placed a hand on her shoulder. Strawberry, appreciative of the gesture, managed to take a few deep, shaky breaths before she attempted to finish her sentence.

“The flowers…the ones that were laughing at us.” Strawberry forced out the words as quickly as she could. She could feel her throat tighten, as she continued to speak. “I can’t…stop thinking…what they said about us…”

Crawl back into your Oven.

Your place is on the plate.

Strawberry could recall the heat that had woken her up and how one of the first sights upon awakening was witnessing the Witch grab a cookie and staring in horror as the cookie lost their life in front of her very eyes. She could almost remember the panic that bubbled inside her and caused her to run as fast as possible without any sense of direction at first. Anywhere was fine, as long as she didn’t have to suffer the same fate as the unfortunate cookie she could not save. The unfortunate cookie who lost their limbs and had their-

Strawberry tried to shut off her thoughts as tears began to well up in her eyes. She was no longer there. She had been lucky to find her way out, to preserve her own life, and to be able to make this journey with her group of friends. Yet the tears began to fall all the same.

“Sorry…” Strawberry whispered as she pulled her hoodie over her face to hide the tears streaming down her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, but opened them when she felt a pair of hands lift the hoodie up and stared at Gingerbrave, who had a concerned expression on his face.

“No need to say sorry,” Gingerbrave said. “It…must still be really painful to hold those memories, isn’t it?” Strawberry could only muster the energy to nod as she watched Gingerbrave suddenly stand up and turn around, seemingly looking upwards.

“Honestly, even if what those flowers said were true…” Gingerbrave began to speak softly, but as he continued to speak, his voice steadily grew louder. “I want to believe otherwise. We’ve ran this far. I want to believe that means something, and that by all of us being together, we can prove that we were meant to be…more than whatever the Witch wanted us to be!” Gingerbrave faltered for a moment before turning around  to face Strawberry again. Strawberry didn’t respond and only could stare at Gingerbrave, who somehow had a smile on his face.

Sometimes I wonder how you can be so…

“I want to believe in us,” Gingerbrave stated. “All of our memories. All of our efforts to live each day with a smile. That’s what defines us. Not the Witch or the Oven.”

“You really…are brave, aren’t you?” Strawberry said with a whisper and a small smile.

“Haha…well it’s in my name after all!” Gingerbrave laughed before his expression turned more serious. “I know it won’t be easy, but I’d like to try at least. To keep running forward regardless of how much it can hurt sometimes. Because that’s the best we can do at times. But I’m sure in the end, we’ll find our happy ending! I can feel it!” Gingerbrave pumped his fist into the air. Strawberry couldn’t help but continue to smile. There was something contagious about Gingerbrave’s optimism and spirit that always kindled a part of her own drive to keep living.

…I want to keep running with everyone too.

“Also Strawberry?” Gingerbrave asked as he watched Strawberry finally decide to stand up. “We’ll be here for you, no matter what! So don’t be afraid to rely on us for help when you need it or if you just want to let your feelings out, ok?”

“Ok,” Strawberry replied. “Thanks…for being here with me. I appreciate that.”

“No problem!” Gingerbrave smiled as he patted her shoulder before beginning to walk past her. “We should probably get back to sleep now. It’ll be hard to wake up bright and early to get to the academy Pure Vanilla attended with less energy, haha!”

Strawberry smiled and stared at the sky one final time before another thought suddenly crept up in her mind.

I could…take his advice right now.

“Hey, Gingerbrave-“ Strawberry started to say before she hesitated, the rest of her sentence stuck on the tip of her tongue. She watched Gingerbrave turn around and face her.

“Yeah?” Gingerbrave replied as he walked towards her. “Do you need anything?”Strawberry opened her mouth and then quickly shook her head.

“No, it’s nothing.” Strawberry said as she started walking in the direction that Gingerbrave had been heading.

Too late. Not yet. Not now.

Strawberry slowly opened her eyes groggily, and slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. She could feel something slip from the grasp of her memory, leaving behind some sort of bittersweet feeling in her heart. Strawberry decided to check on her surroundings. She seemed to have been lying down on a plain mattress, yet it wasn’t her bed. Where exactly was-

Wait… Strawberry Crepe. The weird light thing. I’m alive. Oh thank goodness.

Strawberry flopped back onto the mattress. She was a little tired of having to deal with Strawberry Crepe at the moment. She would rather just enjoy the temporary peace and quiet, which would have to be eventually given up when she’d have to ask them on how to leave wherever she was right now. Would they let her leave? Why was she still questioning this? She wanted to believe in the deal both of them had struck, yet a part of her could not help but doubt Strawberry Crepe’s words, despite Strawberry feeling pretty confident that Strawberry Crepe was most certainly not a liar. Suddenly, cold water splashed onto Strawberry’s face and she sputtered as she stared up incredulously at Strawberry Crepe, who was holding a now empty bucket.

“Oh neat, you’re already awake!” Strawberry Crepe gleefully said as they set down the bucket. “You were passed out for a while, and I was SUPER bored waiting for you to wake up. While I was waiting, I remembered something I wanted to test out!” Strawberry Crepe smiled wide and didn’t say anything else. Strawberry stared as she waited for a follow-up and received nothing.

“Um…I’m really soggy right now…” Strawberry mumbled. “You…do realize that, right?”

“Ding ding ding!” Strawberry Crepe said as they whipped out some sort of tablet. “I was struck with the genius idea of recording the rate of how long it would take for Cookie dough to dry up. This would mostly be just an observation, as I’m not particularly sure whether the amount of particular ingredients would affect the rate or not. I’d have to try to find more subjects to run an actual experiment, and I highly doubt that I’ll be able to convince anyone else! Also don’t worry! You won’t have to do anything else other than wait! Unfortunately that means I can’t take you on the tour like I had planned. I wanted to show you all these super duper exciting upgrades I made…but I guess that’ll have to wait.”

Strawberry Crepe began humming to themselves while Strawberry looked up at the ceiling in exasperation. She had not planned to get soaked in water and spend the currently unknown time length waiting for her dough to dry up, but honestly she’d take this over having to get near a Wafflebot. That was the last thing she wanted to do here in the Vanilla Kingdom. Apparently she had started to space out because she had just noticed that Strawberry was staring very intensely at her without any indication of blinking.

“You should spit it out,” Strawberry Crepe suddenly said as they began tapping on their tablet a bit more fiercely than Strawberry anticipated.

“Spit what out?” Strawberry muttered as she purposefully tried not to look at them. She did not feel very willing to strike up a conversation with Strawberry Crepe even if she had legitimately nothing else to do.

“Whatever you’re thinking right now.” Strawberry Crepe replied as they began to frown. “It’s one of the things I can’t get a read on because you’re always hiding yourself, as I’ve pointed out already, although right now it’s a little easier. I can at least tell you’re not happy.” They went back to typing away on their tablet, while Strawberry was left to engage with her thoughts. On one hand, Strawberry Crepe was one of the people she would very much like to NOT open up to at all. She wasn’t quite sure if they’d take her seriously. On the other hand, sleep wasn’t coming any faster, and honestly maybe it wasn’t a very good idea to go back to sleep at the moment.

Either option involved letting her guard down in some form of way, unfortunately.

“Can we renegotiate the deal we made?” Strawberry asked after a long while of silence. Strawberry Crepe stared at Strawberry, narrowing their eyes.

“Are you backing out?” They asked, as their finger hovered over their tablet. Strawberry quickly shook her head, as she tried to sit up. Strawberry Crepe, with unusually high speed, reached out and almost forcefully pushed her back down before intensely frowning.

“Your dough hasn’t finished drying!” Strawberry Crepe snapped before they crossed their arms and glared down at the ground. Strawberry could notice their eye twitch a little as they remained silent for honestly longer than usual. “S. S. So. Sor.” Strawberry Crepe then began to make a whining robotic noise that sounded like some sort of dying cat while beginning to flip their tablet. Strawberry blankly stared as Strawberry Crepe seemed to struggle with trying to say what seemed to be a singular word.

“Sorry!” Strawberry Crepe suddenly spat out before immediately turning around, facing away from the mattress Strawberry was lying down on. Strawberry just blinked, trying to process that Strawberry Crepe actually had managed to say that.

Did they actually…?

“I don’t get it,” Strawberry Crepe spoke again. Strawberry, upon hearing Strawberry Crepe’s voice, instinctively tried to lift her head before remembering what had just happened a minute ago. Luckily he was still talking at a normal volume. “Apologizing. Or whatever I’m supposed to do or take into consideration. The Wafflebots aren’t like this. I know exactly how to fix their problems. If they get damaged, I can figure out a solution, and find the parts I need to execute that solution. Some problems are more complicated than others, but for the most part it’s comprehensible. You’re different. I never know whether you actually are ok with what you YOURSELF agreed to. I can sense some degree of discomfort, yet you still showed up. Dealing with you is very finicky. Or rather, maybe dealing with actual cookies in general are, which is why all of you are insufferable to be around.”

Strawberry decided just to listen for now. She wasn’t very sure how to respond to this just yet. However, Strawberry Crepe didn’t continue speaking and instead turned back around, and looked at Strawberry expectantly like they were waiting for an answer. She sighed before she started to speak.

“I try to keep to myself most of the time. I prefer being quiet. That’s…just how it is.” Strawberry said as she watched Strawberry Crepe open their mouth in indignation. “Look, that’s…just how it is. Sometimes, there’s things you just have to accept, whether or not there’s an explanation or a easy fix-it solution. And anyways my personality…should not be your concern.”

“Fine,” Strawberry Crepe grumbled before speaking up again. “But at least, be honest. Be honest with me for however long we keep this up. It’s annoying me that I can’t tell what you’re thinking at least 50% of the time.”

“But I don’t even trust you…” Strawberry finally was able to admit that as she frowned at Strawberry Crepe. “I don’t open up easily to other people, so how am I going to open up knowing that you’re on Dark Enchantress’s s-“

“She stopped talking to me.” Strawberry Crepe’s stare suddenly darkened as Strawberry felt their eyes pierce right into her own.

“What?”

“After you beat her,” Strawberry Crepe’s voice was beginning to turn shrill. “After ALL of you moved in. She vanished. I haven’t heard a word from her since! I keep checking on the castle every day to see if she will come back. Every single day, there’s no response. So actually, who knows if I’m on ‘her side’ or not? Either way, it’s all YOUR fault! You and your stupid friends and that old loser of a king!”

Strawberry really could not find the right words to respond. Instead, she decided to ask a question she probably wouldn’t have thought of asking…well, ever.

“What did Dark Enchantress mean to you anyways?”

Strawberry Crepe stared before glaring at Strawberry.

“You wouldn’t understand.” Strawberry Crepe snapped. “And I technically already told you when I fought you and your friends, remember? It’s FUN. I got bored and started playing around with the Wafflebots. She’s the one who showed me that. To make my own decisions of what I want to do regardless of rules and regulation. Freedom. Isn’t that beautiful? And now that she’s gone…I can’t do whatever I want anymore. Not with all of YOU running around the entire place like you suddenly own it.”

“…You’re right.” Strawberry said, struggling with what to say next. It was like walking on a tightrope and finding it difficult to maintain her balance. “I don’t understand. Well to be honest, I don’t understand how you have fun from what you’ve done with the Wafflebots. Well more specifically…the violence is…not good. But besides from that, I think I can grasp everything else…even how you feel about Dark Enchantress. Not about her herself but…it’s hard to accept when someone you cared about…goes away. I can empathize with that.”

I hope I don’t have to experience that type of pain.

“Hmph.” Strawberry Crepe let out a huff as they crossed their arms. “I didn’t expect you to understand, but…” Their voice trailed off as they stared at their tablet. “For some reason, I feel a little better.”

“Well, that’s what happens when you let your feelings out.” Strawberry smiled for perhaps the first time ever. And maybe there would be more smiles to come hopefully.

“What about you then?” Strawberry Crepe asked in reply. “Did you let your feelings out?” Strawberry blinked as she processed the question and then laughed a little.

“Yeah, I guess I did. Some of it anyways,” Strawberry said and then smiled a little wider when Strawberry Crepe began to pout.

“Only some of it?” Crepe grumbled as they checked their tablet. “Even though we’ve talked for at least 10 minutes- oh wait I need to check your dough.” He held up the tablet, which scanned Strawberry’s arm with some sort of light. “In total, it took 35 minutes and 18 seconds for your dough to dry.”

“Do you think it would have been faster if we were actually outdoors…?” Strawberry asked. Strawberry Crepe stared before face palming.

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of that sooner, but also maybe you have more of a brain than I thought,” Strawberry Crepe laughed as Strawberry frowned slightly. “No but seriously, I’m usually not this sloppy.”

“Ah…” Strawberry said as she slid off the mattress and stood up. “Anyways, I’d like to go back now.  That’s enough for one day…”

“Yeah sure.” Strawberry Crepe shrugged before suddenly grinning. “Want to take the teleported again?” Strawberry stared at them when she realized what they meant by the teleporter.

“Wait…that was a teleporter…?” Strawberry asked.

“Yeah? Technically I messed around with it so it has like different features that I won’t go into detail because I feel like that would scare you, but I would LOVE to go into detail about it though,” Strawberry Crepe replied.

“You made it sound like I was going to die if I made a wrong move…” Strawberry muttered as she grabbed and clutched her lollipop, which had been resting against the mattress. “I got really nervous because of that…and tried to rush out as fast as possible.”

“Well, there was a good chance of that happening actually,”  Strawberry Crepe’s expression suddenly turned serious. “Especially since you decided to try to exit it after the process had already started. I do not want to go explain to THEM about why, let’s say, your arm got ripped from the rest of your body. Everybody would probably assume it’s my fault when in reality, you were the one who threw your safety on the line.”

“…Anyways promise me you’ll just say everything straightforward.” Strawberry said.

“Only if you’re willing to be more honest about stuff.” Strawberry Crepe replied.

“We can add this to our deal.” Strawberry said, as she checked all of her belongings. Wait, her snack bag? Did Strawberry Crepe…?

“Oh I ate most of the food in there,” Strawberry Crepe said as they handed her bag to her. “I did leave a few jellies in there though.”

“Again…you should probably ask before you do something…” Strawberry said as she popped the remaining jellies into her mouth. “In exchange for my snacks, let’s not go on the teleporter.”

“Boo, you’re no fun.” Strawberry Crepe grumbled before shrugging. “But sure, I’ll take that trade. Just have fun catching up with me if you want to reach the exit!” Strawberry Crepe giggled as they started zooming across their own lab. Strawberry, having had barely any time to react, stared for a few seconds before hurriedly running after them.

“Seriously…” Strawberry sighed as she tried to keep them in her peripheral vision. It was the same usual antics from them all over again, but a part of her was more relieved and honestly quite a little more helpful.

She didn’t want to admit this just yet, but maybe she was looking a little more forward to how this would turn out.

Chapter Text

Almost…got it…

The ladder wobbled and then began to fall to the side as Strawberry was about to place the book in its proper place. Her foot lost its grip, and Strawberry began to feel herself slip. She shut her eyes, not wanting to see the ground that she would most likely land on. Hopefully, she didn’t break any of her limbs. The thought of that made her stomach churn as she could only hope that the she wouldn’t suffer too much damage. If she had just been a little more careful…

Please don’t let it hurt too much…

Strawberry, still squeezing her eyes shut, waited with bated breath for her body to make an impact with the ground. She heard a loud crash and assumed that was probably the ladder, yet she seemed to still haven’t reached the ground somehow.As the suspense only caused her to worry, Strawberry slowly opened her eyes and found herself floating in the air. She looked down and saw Wizard Cookie with his magic wand pointed towards her as he muttered a spell that Strawberry’s ears couldn’t quite catch. As Wizard continued to chant to himself, some sort of magical force slowly lowered Strawberry down, and she managed to land with her two feet onto the ground.

“Are you alright?” Wizard asked with concern as he slightly frowned. “That was dangerous…next time, just ask me if you need any help.” He muttered to himself again, and the book, the one that Strawberry had forgotten she had been carrying, flew out of her hands and sorted itself neatly alongside the other assortment of books. Strawberry stared down at her feet in an act of relief that her feet was on solid but also in an apologetic manner.

“Sorry about that…” Strawberry said more quietly than she intended, and quickly raised her a voice a little louder. “I wanted to help as much as I can, but I…”

“It’s ok,” Wizard sighed. “I’m glad you didn’t hurt yourself, but… be more careful.” Strawberry nodded silently before quickly attempting to change the topic.

“I didn’t know there was a library here before you asked if I could help you with organizing.” Strawberry brought up. Wizard had approached her about 4-5 hours ago about the matter, and they had spent the time mostly trying to organize the books that were laying around the place, which, upon their arrival, had looked pretty desolate.

“Me neither, but Pure Vanilla told me about this place a few days ago,” Wizard said as he levitated a few more books from a pile of books and scrolls next to him. “He mentioned that he suddenly remembered that there was a library in the city that contained all the information of the city’s history, infrastructure, and the different forms of magic that was used by the people of the Vanilla Kingdom before the Dark Flour War. He thought that I’d be interested in taking a look, which was a correct assumption. He did also say that the place like the rest of the city must have suffered some degree of damage during the Dark Flour War…so I have to clean all of this up before I can begin to think about actually analyzing anything.” He gestured to the pile of books along with littered sheets of loose-leaf paper, chunks of cement, shards of glass, and much more debris strewn across the library floor with his wand.

“That sounds like a lot of work…hopefully, we can get this done sooner than later…” Strawberry said as she picked up a few more books from the pile and turned back towards the book shelf in front of her. “But it must be nice having something to look forward to, right?”

“Absolutely,” Wizard replied. “Also, thank you for volunteering to help out with this. You didn’t have to take time out of your day, so I really appreciate the extra help.”

“No problem,” Strawberry said with a small smile as she started examining each books’ spines and setting them onto the bookshelf, checking that she had placed each book in alphabetical order. She began to say something else, but she suddenly felt a little shy, so she decided against it for the time being.

Of course I’d help… you’re my friend, after all…

“Oh, by the way, I wanted to ask you how your inspection was going,” Wizard suddenly asked. “I imagine it must be a little daunting, especially since we’re uncertain about certain areas of the Kingdom…like the Wafflebot factory we had to frantically escape from. I wonder if there were any more-“

“There didn’t seem to be any from last time I checked-” Strawberry interrupted and then froze mid-sentence as she realized that she had said that aloud. She turned around to see Wizard’s eyes widen.

“Wait, did you decide to go there by yourself?” Wizard asked. “Did you see anything in particular that we have to watch out for? And…what exactly do you mean by last time?” Strawberry very much wished at the moment that she could take back anything she had just blurted out 10 seconds ago. She didn’t feel prepared enough to really talk about any of the events that had occurred the day she made the decision to go to the Wafflebot factory by herself. But judging from the situation she placed herself in, she wouldn’t be able to slip her way out of this conversation very easily.

“Um…everything looked almost about the same from when we first saw it …minus the Wafflebot Goliath chasing us down…” Strawberry nervously laughed a little as she fidgeted with her hoodie sleeves. “And yeah…I went there more than once…just to double-check…You never know what you could miss the first time you look at something, right?”

I don’t like hiding the truth from my friends, but…

“Wow,” Wizard seemed to be a little speechless before continuing on. “I’m a little surprised honestly. I didn’t think you’d go there alone. That’s quite brave of you actually. Also very reckless, since anything could have happened to you there, but brave nonetheless. You could have asked one of us to accompany you at least…”

“I know,” Strawberry mumbled as she set down the books she was holding and pulled her hoodie over her face in reaction to the small compliment. “But I didn’t want to bother any of you…and it was the job I was assigned to do…so I thought I’d at least try.”

I don’t feel brave at all when I go there though…

“If the Wafflebots are gone, do you think Strawberry Crepe is gone as well?” Wizard asked. “He doesn’t seem like someone who would separate very easily with them. And if he was still here, he’d probably have bothered us by now with the Wafflebots, right?” Strawberry froze. To say that what Wizard had just asked had startled her would be an understatement.

“Maybe,” Strawberry could only slip out that lone word out of fear that if she said anymore, she might reveal something on accident. Luckily, Wizard didn’t seem to continue the conversation topic and returned to primarily focusing on what both of them had been doing initially. Strawberry also resumed doing likewise, but she couldn’t stop her hands from trembling just a little. Strawberry stopped for a few moments to take a few, hopefully silent deep breaths in and out, and then continued on with her immediate task. She’d have to cross her fingers that he didn’t notice any of that.

Within the next hour, the two of them had managed to clear out the pile of books on the floor and gathered up all the loose sheets of paper, placing them on a nearby table. Wizard was currently shuffling through them to check if they hadn’t suffered major damage (and if Strawberry had to guess, he was probably reading through all of it). Strawberry, a little intimidated by the copious amounts of handwriting written on each sheet of paper, had decided to glance at her watch to check the time. 2:25 pm.

“Hmm, all of these documents seem to talking about… some sort of cryobaking pod system,” Wizard held up the sheets of paper closer to his face and squinted hard before setting them back down. “I am vaguely interested just because I haven’t noticed anything like that around here or anywhere that I’ve been to so far. But I can’t really make out a lot of the handwriting. Whoever wrote any of this needs to learn how to not smudge their own handwriting.” While Wizard had been talking, Strawberry had quietly glanced up from looking at her watch. Something about what Wizard had just mentioned sounded vaguely familiar, but Strawberry couldn’t quite place her finger on it. But she knew she must have heard it before.

Bzzt-bzzt!

…Unfortunate timing.

Strawberry chewed her lips nervously as she desperately hoped that Wizard would not notice the small buzzing noise that was coming from her watch. To her chagrin, Wizard immediately looked up from reading the papers in his hand, and frowned.

“What’s that sound?” Wizard grumbled. “It’s a little irritating…I’m trying to read this right now.”

“I-I’m not sure,” Strawberry stuttered instinctively before she forced herself to speak more slowly. “I can go…check around to see where it’s coming from.”

“Ok,” Wizard nodded as he immediately returned his attention to frowning at whatever he was reading. Strawberry, feeling guilty that she was glad he was distracted, awkwardly stood up and quietly ran as fast as she could out of the library when she was sure Wizard wasn’t paying attention. Quickly glancing around to check that there wasn’t anybody near her, she pressed the button on her watch and accepted Strawberry Crepe’s call.

“What took you so long?!” Strawberry winced at the sheer volume of Strawberry Crepe’s voice coming from her watch. “I was waiting FOREVER for you to-“

“Shh!” Strawberry nearly hissed at her watch as she instinctively put a finger to her lips before feeling embarrassed because no one was actually around. “I was busy helping someone with something for the past 5 hours. I couldn’t just pick up…”

“Ooh, who were you with, and what were you doing?” Strawberry Crepe asked.

“Wizard. We were cleaning up the library.” Strawberry replied. “There’s still a lot of stuff left to clean up, but I think both of us have done a pretty good job so far. Also we’re both lucky that right now, Wizard’s busy reading  through some of the papers that…” Strawberry’s voice trailed off as she came to a realization. She scolded herself a little for not remembering sooner.

Cryobaking pod…wasn’t that mentioned when I was listening to the logs…?

“Are you going to finish your sentence?” Strawberry Crepe asked, a small amount of impatience seeping into his tone. “What was Wizard reading about? I’m a little more curious now from your incomplete response actually!”

“I’ll bring it up later, I think,” Strawberry replied before she began to sigh. “Did you call me with the same intention in mind or is it something different this time?”

“Nope, same plan!” Strawberry Crepe began giggling. “I still haven’t taken you on the grand tour that I promised, remember? Don’t worry! I can absolutely reassure you it will be LOADS of fun!”

“Again I’m not sure about your idea of fun, but I’ll try to get over there as soon as possible.” Strawberry responded.

“Great!” Strawberry Crepe cheered. “I’ll see you in 10 minutes!”

“Wait, I said as soon as possible. Not-“ Strawberry stopped talking when she heard Strawberry Crepe hang up from the call. Even though it had been a few days since their serious exchange, it seemed that Strawberry Crepe was mostly still the same as ever, although it was silly of her to expect Strawberry Crepe to turn over a new leaf overnight. She headed back into the library and upon returning, she found Wizard still engrossed with reading the documents. This seemed to be only momentary, however, as Wizard then placed the papers down and stretched his arms.

“I still quite can’t make heads or tails of this, but I’ll have to deal with this another time, or I’ll be stuck here all day,” Wizard said. He didn’t seem to acknowledge the fact that she had just returned, so Strawberry assumed that he hadn’t paid any attention to anything else outside of reading during the time she was talking to Strawberry Crepe. That was good news for her, and she almost breathed a sigh of relief, but she caught herself before she actually did so. No need to add onto any possible suspicion that Strawberry may have caused today. Actually, this begged the question of whether or not Wizard had 100% taken her word, but Strawberry honestly felt better off not knowing.

“Honestly that’s enough work today,” Wizard continued as he stood up and began to walk towards the exit. Strawberry turned around and followed him out, silently thankful for the sudden hand of good luck she received. “I’m going to rest to take a well-deserved break from what we’ve managed to do today.”

“Ooh that sounds nice…” Strawberry said as she now imagined closing her eyes and sinking her head into a soft, fluffy pillow. Unfortunately , that would have to definitely wait. She wasn’t sure how long she had before Strawberry Crepe began to get irritated. “I’ll probably walk around the kingdom to get some fresh air. We were inside for a good while.”

“Yeah, especially since the library was a little stuffy in my opinion,” Wizard said as they reached the city square. Strawberry glanced up at what used to be the giant Pure Vanilla Statue before its head had fallen off and nearly crushed Pure Vanilla. No one had yet decided what to do with the headless statue, and so the statue remained standing, perhaps one of the last signs of the kingdom’s initial fall.

“I’m going to stay here and walk around now, so you can probably head back now,” Strawberry said as she glanced over at Wizard, who had seemed to either stare at the statue along with her or to wait for her.

“Okay,” Wizard said. “Thank you again for helping me today. If you don’t mind, I’ll most likely ask for help again whenever I go back there.” Wizard, with his wand in the other hand, waved and began walking south. Strawberry watched him leave for a few seconds before beginning to speed-walk in the opposite direction.

That took too long…I’m going to have to hope Strawberry Crepe isn’t too upset…

Cryo… preservation… freeze…

Wizard kept repeating the words in his head as he walked. He wasn’t exactly sure what the full context of those words meant, as what he had been trying to read back in the library…had been incomprehensible to an almost horrid degree. He should have asked Strawberry to see if she would have been able to read it, but maybe that would have ended up futile. Too late to go back and try now.

Also, was it just me or…?

Wizard frowned in thought as he unconsciously tapped the side of his head with his wand. He didn’t want to say Strawberry was acting a little strange, but something felt a little off. She seemed a little more tense at times if he had to be completely honest.  Wizard stopped walking, and turned around, and just stood still as he watched Strawberry’s figure retreat farther into the distance. Wizard swore it looked like she was in a hurry. But where would she be headed that required for her to run that quickly?

Wizard hesitated, gripping his wand more tightly, before beginning to run forward. There was a strange sense of urgency but also an almost guilty curiosity bubbling up inside of him.

It’s not that I want to hold suspicions, and I don’t even know if I’ll catch up to her in time…but I need to check for myself.