Chapter Text
Strawberry Crepe Cookie willed themself not to cry, huddled up on the ground against a post at the base of the stairs leading into the Vanilla Castle.
Everything hurt. Their body was sore, crumbling in some places from the beating they’d had to suffer from the boring-ordinary-heroes, and their pride was deeply wounded from the raisin cookies’ victory in the coin toss, and they longed for the Cookies of Darkness to come get them.
Surely, by this point, Dark Enchantress Cookie should have come back. Or even sent one of the others - Red Velvet Cookie would have been preferable, or Dark Choco Cookie… But, honestly, aching and cold as they were, they’d have settled for even Pomegranate Cookie.
But after all this time, nobody came.
They were angry. Angry at the heroes, for beating them in the first place. Angry at Black Raisin Cookie, for being so mean and uncaring from the moment they met. At the Cookies of Darkness, for not coming back for them.
At themself, for letting any of it happen. They were supposed to be a genius! They were supposed to be unbeatable! They were…
They were alone. And for all their talk about how they preferred the company of Wafflebots, they didn’t realize how much they longed for - needed - the company of other cookies until they were all gone. And Strawberry Crepe Cookie didn’t want to be alone again.
At some point, miserable and aching as they were, they must have fallen asleep, because when they opened their eyes, the sky was a different colour entirely - from the harsh pinks and reds to gentle, inviting violets and blues. They felt even worse than before, and shivered, pulling their cloak tighter around themself, taking in the further changes.
In the city streets proper were the raisin cookies, scurrying about and cleaning the place up; they jolted with alarm as they watched a handful of their bots get wheeled away on some kind of wagon, and made to stand - ready to holler at the dumb cookies who dared to touch their things - only to collapse back with a whimper of pain. Untreated injuries hurt more than they thought they would.
It was then that they heard movement to their left, and turned quickly in a flinch, distrusting. The one who moved didn’t touch them, though, and they faltered after a moment, looking up to take in their presence.
Pure Vanilla Cookie, looking like himself. Of course, Strawberry Crepe Cookie had known from the getgo that it was him, but back then, he was the weakest link. Hardly worth more than a second’s notice. Now, however, he seemed to be at his full strength, tilting his head with concern as the flower on his staff smiled down at them.
“I’m glad you’re awake. I was starting to worry you’d…”
“Never wake up? Ha. Don’t flatter yourself - you and your dumb friends didn’t do that much to me,” They snorted, straightening their spine in spite of the pain their body protested with.
“... You’re still hurt, though. Do you want help? I can -”
“No, I don’t want help! I don’t need help! I need you to go away!”
Their better senses wanted to cry. Of course they wanted help. They wanted the agony to stop, and a small part of them wanted him to stay - because even the company of someone they convinced themself they hated was better than no one at all.
Even so, it felt easier to lie to themself. To think, if they waited, maybe… Maybe She would come back.
Because they weren’t dumb. They knew that the presence of Pure Vanilla Cookie in his proper clothes, with raisin cookies mulling around their city, meant that Dark Enchantress Cookie had lost. Which meant she must have left. Without them.
Pure Vanilla Cookie frowned, and seemed to ignore their demand, shifting to sit on the stair closest to them with a soft grunt. Strawberry Crepe Cookie hugged their knees to their chest, struggling with the urge to weep as bitterness surged in their core.
“... You know,” The elder cookie started after a long silence; “I don’t think you’re a bad cookie. I think… I think you did bad things. But, so does everyone, at some point in their lives."
There was a beat of silence. Strawberry Crepe Cookie stared up at him, incredulous. He responded with a soft sigh, and even they could tell his next words were not said with any pleasure whatsoever.
“Dark Enchantress Cookie will not return.”
Those were the words they didn’t want to hear - they couldn’t hear, because they were true, and the truth hurt. After everything, to be abandoned again… The despair made tears rapidly bubble up in their eyes, though they screwed up their face to hide them as much as possible. Even so, Pure Vanilla Cookie took notice, and was more swift to continue his speech this time.
“Still, there is a place for you here, if you want it. The Vanilla Kingdom is your home as much as it is mine, after all.”
With that, he extended a hand, leaning harder on his staff as he folded over to reach out to them. The smaller cookie only stared for a moment, their gaze flicking up to his face as they processed the invitation.
“Please. Let me heal you.”
There was still a great hesitation when they accepted, at long last; they moved slow, like a frightened animal, and Pure Vanilla gladly adjusted to their comfort, gently pulling them up to sit next to him on the bottom stair. After gently dusting off their cloak for them, his hands moved to either side of their face, waiting for a nod of permission before making contact.
His healing magic was calming, and Strawberry Crepe Cookie caught themself taking great comfort in his touch against their face. The pain dulled until it was entirely gone, replaced with a pleasant warmth. Even so, Pure Vanilla was vigilant, looking over other areas that they allowed him; it gave them time to think, a little calmer and more rational now.
“... Why did she leave me? Why did… They all leave me?”
The sudden question made Pure Vanilla Cookie halt for a moment, opening his eyes partially to look at them - whether he could actually see them this way or not was unclear, but even so, Crepe could see the sorrow within. There was anger, too - but Pure Vanilla most certainly was not the type to allow anger to consume him, only fuel him.
“Because,” He started after the pause, returning to his gentle inspection; “Dark Enchantress Cookie does not… Mmh. No, that’s not right. Dark Enchantress Cookie cares about others, but… Only in the end, only when she’s already succeeded. I have no doubt that she cared for you, and was good to you, but… She is still a selfish cookie. She left you behind to save herself. As much as it saddens me… It is in her nature.”
There were unspoken words there, and curiosity gnawed at Strawberry Crepe Cookie, but they held their tongue on the questions. It felt too loaded to talk about now, and they were upset enough from having been abandoned. They knew he was right; and they knew they should have seen it coming. She’d hardly visited after the heroes invaded, after all.
In any case, his recount made guilt weigh heavily on their mind, tempering with the anger they'd felt towards the heroes just minutes earlier.
"... I'm sorry. I didn't… I shouldn't have…"
"I'm glad you are. Even still… Please, don't be."
Seemingly satisfied with his work, Pure Vanilla pulled his hands back, bringing one to rest upon their head as he smiled.
"You couldn't have known any better, and we can mend what has been broken. Dark Enchantress Cookie holds the blame; not you."
The tears returned in a flash, this time bubbling up and over entirely as Crepe let out a hiccup. Pure Vanilla was left almost entirely in shock when they abruptly launched forward, throwing their arms around him and burying their face in his chest with a sob. His first instinct, of course, was to steady his staff; after ensuring its stability, he turned his attention to the younger cookie, returning their embrace with a more gentle one of his own.
In that peaceful moment at the base of the stairs, Vanilla silently swore that they'd never be alone again.