Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Universe A: Kingdom

Heat.

That’s the only thing Gingerbrave can feel in the air, tensing as he clutches his signature weapon. What started as a pleasant feast devolved into chaos. The earth around him occasionally rumbles as lightning crackles in the sky and Dragon’s Valley shakes fron the earthquakes and the commotion of the battle. Blindly charging at an enemy, Gingerbrave clashes his candy cane against Wildberry’s lollipop, his eyes gazing around at the scene.

Mala Sauce is huffing, pouncing on the enemies like a Butter Tiger as she unleashes the wrath of her mace. She seems to be talking to Wizard as she’s doing so, who appears to be occasionally zapping enemies with his staff in a bored manner. Strawberry is visibly shaking with fear as she spins around with a whoosh of her lollipop. Milk… actually, where even is he? Gingerbrave’s not sure, but he hopes he’s alright. Nameless Mala Tribe warriors aid in the battle, their determination seemingly never ending.

The fight’s been going on for a few minutes, but things seem to be turning in the favor of the Mala Tribe now. Twizzly Gummy snarls, her gun shooting sparks at a record speed. Mala Sauce approaches her, flexing her weapon as she does.

“HEY YOU!” Twizzly Gummy exclaims to her, “Why aren’t you running away?!”

“Because… I am… THE CHIEFTAN OF THE MALA TRIBE!”

The two begin to spar, Twizzly Gummy firing more shots as Mala Sauce spins her mace around to deflect them. The two seem to be even for a while, but eventually Mala Sauce pushes Twizzly Gummy closer to the volcano, which looks like it’s about to erupt at any moment. A proud grin is on her face.

“GET BACK! SHOO AWAY! Ya see this?!” The latter growls out, “I have a time jumper!”

“I don’t know what that is and I don’t care, TASTE THE STEEL OF THIS!”

Mala Sauce aims for the finishing blow, but when she does, Twizzly Gummy spins away and pulls out a mysterious yellow gadget. The tribe leader goes flying through the air and yells in confusion as she steadies herself on the ground again.

The dimension traveler begins to hold it close as the lightning and heat around them intensifies. At this point, both sides of the battle begin to slow down as they notice the two commanding leaders circling each other. Gingerbrave straightens up, close enough to listen in.

“LISTEN LADY! I-I turn the dial, and EVERYONE HERE WILL BE A GONER! If I use this, all of you will be PORTED to another world, another timeline OR ANOTHER UNIVERSE! YOU’LL NEVER FIND YOUR WAY BACK!”

Mala Sauce steps back in disbelief as Twizzly Gummy barks out another wicked laugh, “I SEE I’VE FOUND MY TRAP CARD, CREW!” and begins to slowly turn the dial.

Wildberry stops fighting Gingerbrave, her lollipop cracking against the ground as she lets out a confused sound. The others begin to join her, Mala Tribe warriors and dimensional criminals alike frozen in fear. Never… go home…?

No. Absolutely not. Gingerbrave feels an unusually strong surge of bravery hit him, and he focuses in on the time jumper. Without even thinking, he begins to charge towards the gold gadget.

Twizzly Gummy spins to face him, but it’s too late. His candy cane crashes into the time dial, and electricity grows between the two cookies. A sickening crack rings through the air-

And Gingerbrave’s world fades to white.

-

It’s reasonable to say that Strawberry was terrified out of her mind.

She’d do anything for her friends, so she was happy to accompany Gingerbrave and Wizard to Dragon’s Valley. The food was too disgustingly spicy for her sweet focused senses, but things seemed to be going well!

Until the space criminal Twizzly Gummy and her crew attacked.

Chili Pepper was rude and snarky and stole riches from people all the time, but she had a soft side. She had accompanied Gingerbrave, Wizard, Strawberry, and Custard on their adventure to Vanilla Kingdom after all! Yeah, it was for selfish reasons, but she had a warm energy to her, acting as a parent of sorts due to her being the closest thing to adult guidance. She was a criminal, but she was good hearted deep down.

Twizzly Gummy was the exact opposite. Cold and unfocused, she made her crew (which had an alternate evil version of Strawberry for some reason…!) do all the dirty work, standing positioned in the back of the team for fights. She was a criminal and looked like she had no room in heart for anything except mayhem. She’d do anything to get what she wanted.

So when she whipped out the time jumper, everyone in the battle stopped because they knew that. If she was going down, she’d take everyone with her. Well…

Except for Gingerbrave.

Ever the reckless one, he had charged over to where Mala Sauce and Twizzly Gummy were. He swung his candy cane at the time jumper and the sound of them colliding was so loud that it started like an explosion! Strawberry squeaked and watched as Gingerbrave and Twizzly Gummy went flying in different directions, the time jumper now broken and on the ground.

Twizzly Gummy wobbled as she leaned up against the wall, looking around in confusion. Gingerbrave was unconscious on the ground, sparks still flying around him as his body begin to… blur?!

Strawberry and Wizard ran over to Gingerbrave, crouching down and examining his body. Eventually, the blurring and the sparks stopped, and all that was left was his slumped form. He looked… different for some reason, but when Wizard didn’t comment on it, Strawberry chose not to. At least he was breathing still!

Wizard glared at Twizzly Gummy, “What did you do to Gingerbrave?!” Twizzly Gummy shook her head, “I didn’t do nothing! Fucking kid busted my gadget, THAT’S MY PROBLEM!”

Suddenly, Milk appears, pointing his staff at the sky, “EVERYONE! THERE’S A PORTAL IN THE SKY!”

Strawberry tilted her head up, seeing a multicolored rift swirl high up. An unknown cookie falls through it, her croissant hair bouncing as she rolls and lands. Pulling out glowing handcuffs, she snaps them shut around Twizzly Gummy’s hands. The Mala Tribe warriors, sensing that the cookie’s on their side, restrain the members of her crew. Most of them just struggle to no avail, except for Toothpaste’s dull and disappointed singing.

Seeing that the space criminal is defeated, Strawberry looks down at Gingerbrave and blocks out the sounds of everything else. Even Wizard’s comments are ringing deaf. Everything… was gonna be ok?

“Hey, kids.”

Strawberry and Wizard look up to see the croissant haired girl looming over them. She gazes over Gingerbrave with a concerned but somehow fond look.

“Poor kid’s been through a lot…”

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Wizard interrupts.

The girl snaps out of her staring and looks up, “Oh, sorry! This isn’t even the right one anyways…”

Strawberry tilted her head in confusion, watching the stranger blink and then clear her throat.

“Right, my name’s Croissant, and I’m a member of the Time Balance Department, not that you need to worry about what that is though!”

“I-It’s nice to meet you,” Strawberry decided on, “I’m… Strawberry, and that’s Wizard.”

Wizard shook his staff but said nothing in response.

Croissant let out a giggle as she continued, “Well you two, the good news is that those pesky criminals have been arrested and sent away! Sorry I didn’t arrive sooner.”

“Don’t apologize, w-we probably would’ve lost otherwise,” Strawberry stammers.

Croissant shrugs, pressing a few buttons on something, “Either way, everything’s under control now, though…”

“Though?” Wizard questions.

“…I still detect an anomaly even though Twizzly Gummy and her crew have been hauled off, but my radar’s not working.”

Silence stretches between the three of them. Well, that can’t be good. Croissant adjusted her clothing in pensive thought, before an idea in her brain flipped on and she clicked her goggles on over her eyes.

“Well, I’ll report back to the TBD, and if I find out what’s wrong, I’ll tell you two. How does that sound?”

Wizard shrugged, “Meh, what’s another thing to keep me up at night?”

Strawberry lightly whacked Wizard and smiled, “T-That doesn’t sound like a bad idea, Croissant! We’ll tell Mala Sauce.”

Croissant smirked and flashed a sign at them, a portal opening above her, “Take care, kids!”

She hopped through the rift and it closed shut behind her. Gingerbrave suddenly began to stir, his hands and eyes twitching slightly. Wizard and Strawberry jumped up in response, backing away so he had room to sit up.

Slowly, Gingerbrave woke up and forced himself to rise. He looked around with a confused look on his face, mumbling stuff to himself as he gripped the group beneath him. Strawberry leaned a bit closer to him, catching one thing:

“Is this what was meant to happen when I touched the stained glass…?”

Strawberry nervously spoke up, “Gingerbrave? How are you doing?”

The brave kid noticed her and suddenly stood up with refilled energy, back on his feet in record time. That was odd, wasn’t it? After all, he had just been unconscious a minute ago…

“Oh, Strawberry, it’s so good to see you!” He declared in his extremely familiar voice.

But now that Strawberry thought about it, he definitely looked different. It’d make sense for him to be dirtied or injured, but Gingerbrave didn’t even have a crumb of dirt on his clothes. He seemed perfectly fine. He looked older somehow, his height taller and his hair a bit longer, yet he carried a certain innocence in his eyes and a stubborn smirk instead of his usually friendly grin. Sticking out of his pant pockets were yellow potions that Strawberry didn’t remember him having. Energy potions.

“Glad this isn’t a memory, but uh… is this the Dragon Valley thingy Milk and Purple Yam were talking about?! Wow, it sure is hot,” Gingerbrave tapped his hands on his hips.

Wizard raised an eyebrow, “Uh… Gingerbrave? We’ve been here for hours.”

Gingerbrave looked at him with an odd expression, “Oh uh… hey Wizard? What are you doing here? Aren’t you meant to be teaching Cream Puff or something?”

That didn’t make any sense. Cream Puff was already a graduated witch!

Wait…

[“…I still detect an anomaly even though Twizzly Gummy and her crew have been hauled off.”]

Strawberry widened her eyes and stepped back. Gingerbrave stepped closer, candy cane in his hand.

“What’s the matter Strawberry? What are we doing here?!

…And where’s Gingerbright, Zombie, and Alchemist?”

Chapter Text

Universe B: Ovenbreak

Looking for paradise wasn’t an easy task, so when Amber Sugar tricked the group into helping him and Sugar Glass restore the Labyrinth of Remembrance, Gingerbright wasn’t surprised. She was a bit disappointed, yes, but she trusted the Paradise Compass. Gingerbright, Gingerbrave, Strawberry, Zombie, and Alchemist would find paradise eventually, she declared.

What DID surprise her, though, was what happened to Gingerbrave.

After he had agreed to help, he reached for the transparent shards of the labyrinth and touched one with his fingers. It began to flicker with golden and crimson shades of color, but suddenly stopped. Sparks crawled up Gingerbrave’s arm, and he let go in shock. Gingerbright watched in horror as her brother collapsed to the ground and passed out. For some reason, he was… blurring…? Gingerbright assumed it was her vision acting up and looked over at Amber Sugar.

“Ugh, I can’t bee-lieve this,” the bug hybrid rolled his eyes, “Passing out isn’t part of the process, he’s just weak.”

Alchemist raised an eyebrow, “Last I checked, getting electrocuted does not make you weak!”

“Well, we didn’t zap him! Must bee him trying to sabotage it-“

“Enough, Amber Sugar.”

Amber Sugar glanced at Sugar Glass, who was crossing her arms and looking mildly disappointed. The bee-person felt his face heat up in humiliation as he looked down. His wings twitched for a few moments, but then he backed away.

“…Sorry, Sugar Glass,” he muttered.

The butterfly hybrid softly smiled at him and flew over to where Gingerbrave was laying. The blurring had stopped. Pondering for a second, she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him over to Amber Sugar in an aggressive way that did not match her quiet and soft personality.

“Amber Sugar, take him to the front of the entrance.”

He begrudgingly nodded and lifted Gingerbrave up, having the arm strength to unlike Sugar Glass, and flew away. Sugar Glass turned to the ground and blinked blankly.

“I apologize for the inconvenience,” she decided on as an opening, “…but I assure you that was not on us.”

“Y-You don’t look like big scary villains,” Strawberry spoke up, “So it’s a-alright.”

“Yea!” Gingerbright added, “We can see what happened when he wakes up!”

Sugar Glass smiled, landing on the ground, “…Very well then. I hope you’re all still willing to share your memories with the maze.”

“Don’t… have many…” Zombie slowly mumbled as he held the Paradise Compass.

“That’s ok, Zombie!” Gingerbright said as she brushed her skirt clean, “I’ll do it.”

Alchemist nodded and pulled out a notepad for observation and recording as Gingerbright approached the same shard that Gingerbrave touched. Taking a deep breath, she touched it with her fingers, and watched as the shard glitched for a second, as if deciding which person touched the glass, then settled on orange and yellow colors. The familiar sound of flames rang in her ears from the glass.

-

Gingerbrave woke up and blinked his eyes open to… SO MUCH LIGHT! ACK! He closed his eyes shut as he sat up. Near him, he heard buttons repeatedly being smashed. This went on for what felt like a minute as Gingerbrave felt for his surroundings.

“Oh, y-you’re awake.”

Strawberry…?

He turned his head to her and opened his eyes a little. She was sitting beside him, holding something that he had never seen in his entire life. It was shaped like a strawberry, but had buttons on it and a screen. Gingerbrave had seen Strawberry use it before, but he still wasn’t knowledgeable about it.

“W-Want a turn on my game?” she asked.

Gingerbrave tried to answer, but felt his throat tighten up. It felt like sparks were trapping it. Huh, that’s odd. He shook his head no, and she shrugged and went back to playing her game. Gingerbrave leaned against the wall and started adjusting to the bright lights in… whatever this place was. Where was he? Wasn’t he in Dragon’s Valley?

He glanced back over to Strawberry. She looked… weird somehow. She was taller, but she seemed more reserved, as if she had never become more open. Although she was focused on her game first and most, she occasionally glanced at the area around them, eyes sparkling with wonder. It was like looking at a distorted funhouse mirror.

“You look confused,” she said bluntly, “So I’ll just say that you passed out and Amber Sugar took you here.”

Amber Sugar? Gingerbrave stiffened, he had never heard of that name in his entire life. What was going on?

“I tagged along since Gingerbright acted so eager when it came to sharing memories. Alchemist and Zombie stayed behind.”

Gingerbrave looked at the floor. He felt sick. Amber Glass? Zombie? …Gingerbright?! Who were these people? He recognized Alchemist, but considering how off Strawberry was acting, he didn’t have much hope.

Clearing his throat, Gingerbrave finally spoke up, “W-What are you talking about? We were just at Dragon’s Valley…”

Strawberry turned her game off and adjusted the giant lollipop on her back, turning to him with raised eyebrows, “Eh?”

Gingerbrave frowned, “You don’t remember? We were just there! With Wizard and Mala Sauce and Milk a-“

Twizzly Gummy. He recollected himself.

The time jumper.

Did he not break it?! Was that why he was here? Just what was going on?

He took a deep breath, letting any temporary fear wash away as he stood up, his legs threatening to trip as he leaned against the wall. Strawberry looked up at him with a puzzled expression. Her brown eyes stared into him as if he were a broken jar of star jellies.

“L-Let me introduce myself,” Gingerbrave smiled, “My name is Gingerbrave! I came from a place where you and me helped to make a kingdom!”

Strawberry’s game fell out of her hands and landed on the floor of the labyrinth.

“T-That’s impossible,” she gasped, “There’s not any kingdoms here!”

“There is where I am! Even the legendaries show up to it sometimes. It’s like one big party everyday!”

Strawberry’s eyes widened, but before she could say anything, Gingerbright came running in, everyone else tagging along behind her.

“Strawberry, we need you to lend a memory- oh, hey Gingerbrave!”

Gingerbrave glanced at Gingerbright, and his already unsteady balance crumbled further. She looked… exactly like him. Sure, her tied up hair was brown instead of white, and she had purple eyes somehow, but otherwise, they had very similar body types and faces. It was like looking in a girl mirror!

Yet he had never seen her in his entire life.

Gingerbrave backed up against the wall, eyes widened as everyone started talking all at once.

“What’d you pass out f-“

“-ou were supposed to hand over your memori-“

“-uys, hang on, let him speak-“

“-like… shiny window-“

Gingerbrave pulled out his candy cane for self defense and everybody stopped. When they did, he slowly put it back where he had it. He didn’t actually plan to hurt anyone, even if they were complete strangers. Alchemist tapped her fingers on her face curiously.

“Wonder why he’s so confused,” she said, taking a note on her notepad.

Amber Sugar huffed, “If you say we sucked the memories out of him, you bee-et I’m gonna whack you.”

Strawberry picked up her game and took out her lollipop, using it as a shield of sorts between Gingerbrave and the others.

“Strawberry? What are you doing?” Gingerbright asked her best friend.

Strawberry darted her eyes between the nervous Gingerbrave, then Gingerbright’s pleading eyes.

“T-This isn’t our Gingerbrave.”

Chapter Text

Universe A: Kingdom

Wizard glanced between Gingerbrave and Strawberry, eyes widened in confusion, “Who are Gingerbright and Zombie…?”

Gingerbrave flinched, but continued to speak, “Real funny, guys! Don’t you remember? Gingerbright’s my sister! And Zombie… well- uh, he’s the life of the party!”

“Never heard of either of those two,” Wizard said as he fidgeted with his staff.

Strawberry pulled at her hoodie, trying to process the situation. For some reason, when Gingerbrave hit the time jumper, he started to act different and “became an anomaly”? Did he lose his memories? No, that didn’t make sense…

“…How about you uh… reintroduce yourself.” Wizard suggested.

The brave person smiled at that and spun his candy cane in the air, catching it with a roll in front of the two, “My name’s Gingerbrave, and I explore the world with my sister and friends in search of a paradise for people known as the City of Wizards!”

Strawberry and Wizard looked at each other and proceeded to sigh in perfect sync. This was going to be a disaster, the details just didn’t add up. For example, what wizards in cities? There’s only witches! (Besides Wizard himself, but that’s not the point.) Unless, he meant Parfaedia…?

“W-What are we going to do?” Strawberry asked, “The t-time jumper is broken and Croissant left!”

Wizard paused thoughtfully, “Let’s take this… weird version of Gingerbrave back to the kingdom. He’s still technically our friend after all.”

Strawberry looked away in contemplation for a few moments and then nodded. The journey back from Dragon’s Valley would take a while, a few days worst scenario, so there’d be time to question Gingerbrave for information. All that was left to do was find Milk again and say goodbye to the Mala Tribe.

This might work. Probably. Hopefully.

Oh for ancients’ sake, Croissant better come back soon…

-

After a proper feast and goodbyes to Mala Sauce; Strawberry, Wizard, Milk, and Gingerbrave began to travel back to the kingdom. Actually, it was more like Milk was leading the kids while they followed after in confusion, Gingerbrave especially. As much as I’d love to go on a ramble about how epic this journey was, detail the tests and enemies they faced along the way, describe the landscapes that they walked across, and show the heartfelt development that occurred between our leads…

The truth is that nothing interesting happened. Not even an enemy to fight. Just… traveling. Gingerbrave was surprised to hear this was a rarity around these areas.

Despite the initial questions, Gingerbrave recognized all 3 of his companions, so there was no communication issues, just a discrepancy in memories. When Wizard and Strawberry would recount how they built the kingdom, Gingerbrave had no memory of this, but listened to them anyways with a curious and eager expression. When Gingerbrave would recount meeting Milk and Purple Yam, Milk would laugh, imagining hunting down Dark Choco when he lived next door. There was chemistry, just not in the same way. Gingerbrave listened instead of lead.

Everything else was a blur, nothing but the sound of footsteps and campfires. After 2 days, they were almost back at the kingdom, and would be in the morning. Everything would be sorted out then. After the fire was set, everyone laid down in makeshift beds. Eventually, Strawberry and Milk drifted off to sleep.

Wizard leaned near the fire, book in hand as he read it. It was about spells, and while he couldn’t cast any in the middle of the night, he liked to memorize them. (He liked the pictures as well, but that was far too childish for his standards.) A rare smile was on his face.

He heard a violent shuffle of sounds and sat up, setting the spell book down as he turned to the source of the sound. Gingerbrave was staring intently at the fire with an uncharacteristic expression of… hatred. He spotted Wizard out of the corner of his eye, and cast a nervous grin.

“Oh- uh, hi Wizard!”

“Bad night?” Wizard asked, his focus on reading completely lost.

Gingerbrave opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again after a few seconds, eyes looking at the sky as he said, “I just… I miss my friends.”

Silence.

“I mean- Well- I consider you guys friends! I-It’s just that I miss my real friends-“

“I understand.”

Gingerbrave froze up, watching as Wizard strode across the campground to where he was. He sat down next to him, and when Gingerbrave poked his shoulder, Wizard considered that a signal to continue.

“You seem pretty good and all,” he started, “but… you’re not from this world, are you?”

Gingerbrave sighed and shook his head, “I don’t think so.”

Wizard nodded, “My point is proven then. Whether it be inventions or, more excitingly, magic, you’re here instead of our Gingerbrave…

…Don’t tell a soul, but I kind of miss him.”

Gingerbrave laughed half heartedly, holding his candy cane close to his chest, “Of course you’d miss me… or an alternate version of me I guess!”

Wizard huffed, already cringing from what he was about to say, “If we can find a way to get you back home… I’ll try and remember you.”

He was suddenly surprised by a hug from the other person. Wizard didn’t reciprocate it, but he didn’t push away from it either. Affection, platonic or not, was something he didn’t exactly like. He settled on awkwardly patting him on the arm. Eventually, Gingerbrave pulled away from the hug.

“…Thank you,” he said.

Wizard stood up, “Eh, it’s no problem,” and begin to walk off, turning his head back to say “Make sure to get some rest. Something big’s gonna happen tomorrow.”

Gingerbrave nodded, and laid down. Looking at the night sky. It looked murky in comparison to when he and Gingerbright would look at the stars.

He smiled, and closed his eyes shut as he heard Wizard get back to reading. Tomorrow, he’d go to this so called kingdom that his companions kept mentioning. He’d never seen a kingdom that wasn’t shattered. It could be exciting!

That was the last thing he thought of as he went to sleep, the worries he had built up blown away.

Chapter Text

Universe B: Ovenbreak

Alchemist raised her eyebrow, glasses slipping in shock, “What? That’s not possible, he appears to look the same.”

…Not really. He was shorter, his hair was messier and of a less wide length as well. A few scars were across his face and his clothes looked a bit dirty. His expression looked a little strained, and his pet was nowhere to be seen, although that was because Gingerbright currently had Choco Drop. Leaning against the wall, he looked… bewildered.

The scientist readjusted her glasses as Strawberry spoke up, “W-Well, h-he’s acting different, right? And A-Amber Sugar and Sugar Glass said that the labyrinth doesn’t suck memories away.”

“Are you sure about that?” Alchemist asked with a smirk.

“Oh buzz off,” Amber Sugar barked at her, “We’re almost done here. All that’s left is to get Gingerbrave’s memory…”

He started impatiently flapping his wings again, “…and if he’s not the right one, a memory’s still a memory, we get this place restored and we get to see inside of his mind!”

Gingerbright crossed her arms, looking away with uncertainty in her eyes, “…I guess that’s not so bad an idea.”

Gingerbrave gulped nervously and Sugar Glass fluttered over, gently grabbing his head and holding it down to meet her gaze, “You just need to come with us, ok?”

The young man paused, then nodded after a few moments. He stopped leaning against the wall, and followed Amber Sugar and Sugar Glass to the main hall. Everybody else followed the three.

Stepping into the hall, Gingerbrave glanced around in confusion and wonder. Like he had never seen it before. Even though he had just seen it moments ago. Gingerbright’s heart hurt with a pang of sympathy. Just what was going on with her brother? She held her lollipop close as the two guardians of the Labyrinth of Remembrance led Gingerbrave to the memories.

“You just need to touch the shard- here, yea, right there- and…!”

Gingerbrave tapped his fingers against it. The shard rolled through flickers of several colors, before finally deciding on one. It felt like the memory was surrounding the group, and what they all saw was a lot to take in.

There was a group of people in a dark hallway. Gingerbrave stood tall and led the way, candy cane at the ready. Strawberry was also there, hoodie drawn tighter to her face than usual as she reached for the lollipop on her back. Another kid (Wizard?) aimed his staff up, electricity crackling around it and making his scarf fly in the wind. An adult with long red hair in a ponytail swayed back and forth, holding daggers she occasionally threw up in the air and caught as they spun. In the back of the group, a blonde boy with poofy pants and a fake crown bounced along.

Cake was splattered behind them, as if something had exploded or been defeated. They all walked up the stairs of a platform with long purple carpet trailing in front of it. The hall looked too dark and cold, the only light coming from the blonde boy and the wizard’s staffs. Gingerbright tilted her head with concern. Just what was this?

A guy dressed in robes that resembled a ruler appeared to be trapped in a giant jar. This would’ve been rather comical and hilarious if not for the enormous sized monster behind it holding weapons. It looked as if it was made out of cake and an old looking woman was on top of it. Not a great look.

“Evil… evil lady.” Zombie muttered, Gingerbright nodding in agreement.

The memory version of Gingerbrave opened his mouth, but no words came out. He held his candy cane in the air, but suddenly it was back by his side. This action repeated a few times, before static flooded the vision. Gingerbright glanced over to the real version of Gingerbrave. He was staring at the ground, not scared but… lost in thought. Occasionally, the memory flickered with sights of attacks.

“I think that’s enough,” Sugar Glass sighed as she knocked on the wall of the memory a few times.

Everyone exited it, and the shard that had been blank had decided to resemble the same old lady’s head with a jar behind her. The labyrinth was complete. Amber Sugar looked away, his bold and proud expression deflated. Sugar Glass seemed extremely sad, though not from the memory.

“…Despite the incompleteness of the memory, the labyrinth is restored,” the butterfly hybrid mumbled.

Gingerbrave wobbled again, but Gingerbright caught him with her lollipop, crouching down besides him. That was… definitely not something that happened on their adventure together. Strawberry was right after all. Her brother had been replaced with an alternate version. Though… now she wonders…

“Hey, everything’s ok now,” she said. When Gingerbrave looked up at her with an uncharacteristically empty gaze, Gingerbright continued, “I… don’t know what’s going on, but I have your pet.”

Digging into her pockets, the girl pulled out a sentient drop of chocolate and handed it to him. Gingerbrave held it in his hands, watching it dance around. The drop didn’t seem to entirely recognize him, but that was fine.

“I don’t recognize this,” Gingerbrave said flatly, “…but it does make me feel better. Thanks, uh…”

“Gingerbright.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said with a glimmer returning to his eyes.

Amber Sugar turned to the two, twitching slightly with narrowed eyebrows. God, what’s the hold up here?! It was time to leave the labyrinth, he feels like he’s bee-n around the place for years. Sugar Glass tapped his shoulder, and he sighed. His promise was never entirely over.

They could leave later.

Gingerbright smiled at Gingerbrave, “So… what happened in that memory?”

Chapter Text

Universe A: Kingdom

After the events of the uninteresting filler journey, and Wizard sharing his theory on Gingerbrave to the others, the group was finally near the kingdom. The place was surrounded by what felt like miles of forest, and sunlight leaked through the trees as

Milk led them through it once again, I guess he must have a pretty good sense of navigation? Who knows. Wizard trailed in the back, muttering to himself as he read a book, while Strawberry and Gingerbrave were walking side by side and conversing among themselves. Gingerbrave was… honestly nervous about seeing a bunch of unfamiliar cookies, but he made sure to keep up his confident persona.

“So,” the young boy started, “What are we gonna do once we get to this kingdom?”

Milk smiled, “Well, it’s easy! We can just go see the ancients! They’re really smart, so they can figure something out.”

“Wow, you actually said something for once,” Wizard deadpanned.

Ignoring this snarky comment, Milk continued, “We just have to make sure Gingerbrave doesn’t talk to anyone!”

Silence.

“…Which might be hard since his alternate self is one of the Kingdom’s founders…”

Strawberry sighed, “W-We’ll just have to hope nobody wants to talk to us.”

They continued to walk until they finally saw the towering wooden gates of the kingdom. This wall of defense could probably easily be destroyed by dark forces, but it kept the wildlife out of the kingdom. Usually, there would be one or two people in charge of the gate, so all Milk had to do was knock on the gate 3 three times. In a few seconds, it swung open backwards, leaving the group a hole to walk through.

Gingerbrave looked up as they entered, and he saw two people begin to climb down from what looked like sentry posts. Well, really, it was just one person climbing, the other hopped off the ladder and zoomed down in a literal blaze of fire. Strawberry backed up nervously as this flame person did a backflip and landed on the ground with a staff in his hand.

“Good to see you again, Fire Spirit,” Milk chirped casually, “What are you doing on border management today? You don’t like doing anything like that.”

“Ugh, tell me about it,” the flame haired guy rolled his eyes, “I would refuse on any other occasion…”

The other person who had been watching had finally climbed down. He was wearing white coated armor and a concealing helmet to match. He seemed incredibly agitated.

“…But I just had to annoy Knight over here!” Fire Spirit smirked.

“I-I was told to get a breather away from Princess,” Knight grumbled, “But all I got was you humiliating me.”

Despite this, Knight had a small smile on his face as Fire Spirit slapped his back and barked out obnoxious laughter. Gingerbrave found himself laughing a little as well, but concealed it behind the sleeve of his shirt. He turned away to see Wizard sighing and Strawberry looking at the dirt path beneath them.

Eventually, Fire Spirit regained his composure and turned to Milk, “So, anything happen in Dragon’s Valley? I haven’t heard anything from the tribe after Pitaya left the place.”

Gingerbrave opened his mouth to talk, “Well, I woke up in the middle of s-“

Strawberry forcefully shut his mouth, and Milk begin to speak loudly, “The feast went off without a hitch! Mala Sauce will make a great leader.”

Fire Spirit’s expression looked nostalgic as he turned away, “Booooring! Well, whatever, have fun in the kingdom.”

He flew up to his sentry post, and Knight saluted to Milk halfheartedly as he reached for the ladder again. Milk saluted back, and lightly poked Gingerbrave with his staff. Although it didn’t hurt, he looked ridiculously offended after.

“Hey, what was that for?” Gingerbrave exclaimed, “The guy was curious!”

“I-If anyone finds out that one of the founders is gone, t-they’d freak out,” Strawberry sighed.”

Gingerbrave’s expression and he said blankly, “Oh. I guess that makes sense.”

With that established, the four people walked through the dirt path until it paved into pale Biscuitstone roads. Gingerbrave couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Rows of small houses were neatly organized as cookies went through everyday life, tending to plants and sitting on benches. A few even waved to him, and the boy waved back. There were even taller buildings that- according to Milk- served as landmarks for the kingdom.

The main attraction of the place, however, was the enormous castle at the back of the entire place. Statues guarded it as the castle stretched what felt like hundreds of feet up into the air. Adorned with hedge bushes, it was a beautiful sight. Multicolored symbols were attached to the walls, and there was a balcony hanging over the entrance. Gingerbrave dropped his candy cane in shock.

“D-DO WE JUST WALK RIGHT IN?!” He exclaimed as he picked it back up.

“P-Pretty much,” Strawberry shrugged, “It’s open for everyone to visit. The only ones who actually live in it though are the ancients.”

“…Who are these ancients anyways?”

“Powerful cookies who built kingdoms of their own once,” Milk said, “These days, though, they’re more like… unofficial governors of this kingdom.”

Walking through the entrance, Gingerbrave eyed the chandeliers on the ceiling as Milk approached a person who looked similar to Knight. He had the blue eyes and the white armor, but he wore no helmet and had long blonde hair, examining a sword as he looked away from the entrance. Hearing footsteps, he perked his head up, tilting his head towards the group as he swung the sword around.

“H-Hello, Mister Madeleine,” Strawberry spoke, “C-Could you lower the sword…?“

“Huh…? Oh!” Madeleine stopped spinning the sword and lowered it, “My apologies! What brings you all here?”

“We were hoping to see if any of the ancients were around,” Wizard dryly spoke.

“Ah, well, they were all here this morning,” Madeleine boldly spoke, but then visibly deflated as he said, “…But they’re all busy except Pure Vanilla.”

“That will do! Thank you very much, Madeleine,” Milk said as he begin to walk up a long row of stairs.

Everybody followed except Madeleine, who simply waved and said, “No problem, may the Divine shine in your favor!”

Click clacking up the stairs, Gingerbrave noticed that everyone seemed… tense. Woah, this Pure Vanilla person must be a pretty big deal! Still, what exactly was he gonna say…?

Before he could ponder about this, the stairs finally gave away to a giant hallway with 5 rooms. A blue door was in the middle, and Gingerbrave felt inclined to open it, approaching it despite Milk’s protests. The young boy reached to knock, but the door swung open before he could.

Facing away from the door, a tall man with a coned hat stood, softly brushing his own hair as he held the door open. Gingerbrave gulped, but took a step in. It was quiet in here except for the occasional tick of a clock. Gingerbrave opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when the man finally spoke.

“I’ve been expecting you, Gingerbrave.”

Chapter Text

It’s come to my attention that, despite tagging this fanfic as unfinished, I never actually announced it. So yeah, The Swap Anomaly is discontinued. I was probably the first to come up with the idea, but I’m sure other people can write it better, and this story is littered with typos.