Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The first time they opened their eyes, they felt how stiff their dough was, freshly baked and hard to move.
“And, who’s this one?” A cheerful voice questioned, and they’d sat up, the world around them so big and vast and crowded and bright and
“This will be the Virtue of Solidarity!”
A voice so loud and large it paralyzed them. They’d caught themself trembling, slowly tilting their head up as a blue cookie with hair that shone a beautiful, flowing white landed in front of him, set down by a large hand.

And he smiled as he approached them.

Crouching, the freshly-baked cookie reached out a hand.
“Hello! I’m Mindful Milk, you must beee…??”
The name that came to them so naturally as their shaky, pale hand clasped his felt so unnatural to say.
“ crystal salt .”
“ Crystal Salt ! How pretty!” Mindful Milk laughed, before standing upright and yanking the taller cookie with him; They’d almost fallen forward since they’d never stepped on their crispy legs before, their feet hurting from the sudden strain- yet as they fall forward, he grabs them and sweeps them right off their feet in a twirl.
“Miriam! Out of the way, hurry!” A voice boomed, however, and he yelped; He stumbles, and this time Crystal Salt is the one who catches him , the two stumbling awkwardly to the side as the looming figure above them shifts to the side, a tray being set beside the two on the vast terrain of wood Crystal Salt had woken up on.

Two more cookies. These two were similar, one with droopy eyes and one with sharp; The two looked so different, yet as they grunt and groan and shift up, Mindful Milk lights up and practically drags them to the two. “ ah -” “Come on, come on!! We gotta meet them!!”

And after them came one more; One who was pale like Crystal Salt, yet so.. different, somehow; And as the five gathered their bearings, they were brought to the only place left for them to go.

Five Virtues.
Mindful Milk, the wielder of Knowledge, was handed his Soul Jam first; It shone with power, and as he took it from the fingers of those who called themselves the Witches, the milky white hue it had shifted to a brilliant blue.
Then shone White Flour, whose pale eyes laid on the Soul Jam of Volition before it’d even been passed to her. And when it was, she took it confidently; Her eyes widened as she gazed upon it, and watched in wonder as its color shifted to a soft cream.
For the twins, Joyous Sugar and Red Spice, they’d been handed theirs simultaneously; A squeal of delight left Joyous Sugar when the soul jam of Happiness responded to her, turning a vivid pink- while Red Spice just chuckled at his sibling’s reaction, before grinning with pride at his own jam of Change as it turned a bright, firey red.

All that was left was Crystal Salt.

“And for you, dear,” spoke the witch that loomed over them, face shadowed by a wide-brimmed hat as she’d picked the last of the milky-white jams from her palm, offering it out on the tips of her fingers. “The Soul Jam of Solidarity.”
They’d hesitated when they saw it, nerves clear and crackling like static in their dough; Even as the witch moved her hand closer, it was almost hard for them to grab it.
“Kyeehehee! A bit nervous, dear? It’s alright, it won’t bite.”

Finally, they’d shakily snatched it in their palms; Such a big responsibility felt almost.. unfitting of a cookie just baked, and yet, they couldn’t help but feel proud when they saw the white of the jam turn to a beautiful purple.
This was their soul jam.
This was their Virtue.

It wasn’t until they’d been lifted to the barriers of a new world that Crystal Salt felt the anxiety creep into their body again. Even as Mindful Milk saw it and grasped their hand in his free one, and one of Joyous Sugar’s wings rested on their back, Crystal Salt felt almost ill seeing the height they had to fall to reach the lands of Earthbread. What should have been a crystal ball in shape was more like a bubble, one that Red Spice was fascinated by, stuffing his hand in the rippling surface to see how small it would become before pulling it out all the same, eyes widening in surprise before turning into a gleeful grin.
“Once you five go in there, our voices will not reach you.” One of the witches explains, leaning in to the cookies as White Flour has to pull Red Spice from the barrier to earthbread like a misbehaving child. “But, you will be the guardians of this world once it has bloomed. In the meantime, you will form and grow; And by the time you reach your maturity, cookies will start to appear.
Once you have your charges, you must harness the radiance bestowed upon you, for the betterment of this world.”

Hooking their arms all together so they wouldn’t fall alone, the five gripped their soul jams tightly and took the plunge.

It felt cold, it felt sudden. Like crashing into water and feeling it swallow you whole, they could barely feel themselves falling until they hit the soft, doughy ground with the same intensity as a feather.
And then, they sat up; Each stared in wonder at the world that was slowly growing around them, the sprouting life and the meek, steady winds; The first to stand up was Mindful Milk, eyes glittering in wonder as he dances around the bright, budding world. White Flour stands soon after, pulling Red Spice to his feet as he laughs and drags her away, Joyous Sugar shouting “HEY!” and chasing after the two with a smile.

Their life had only just begun, and yet, everyone looked so happy. Pushing a smile onto their face, they shivered as the breeze chilled their bare dough, hugging themself and standing on shaking legs like a baby deer.
“ it’s.. really cold, ” They whisper, and Mindful Milk laughs in response, scampering over excitedly. “I know, right?! This is amazing ! There’s so much to learn about- What’s warm gonna feel like!? Is it like the witch’s hands?! What about nature, how is it gonna grow?! How is-”

He’d perked up upon seeing the other three looking around as he chattered and talked- Grabbing Crystal Salt by the hand gently and dragging them along as he continued on, and on, and on..

When the first cookies fell from the skies, the Virtues were overjoyed. They’d grown before then, their dough having crisped up further;

Mindful Milk had been developing streaks of blue in his hair, one of his eyes- slightly discolored- starting to grow more noticeably bright than the other.
Joyous Sugar’s wings once small and frail were starting to strengthen, and Red Spice’s hair, once a bright burst of firey shades, had been dying down to a soot black.
Even the ever-radiant White Flour had changed, her dough darkening from its initial white as the small spot of darkened dough started to grow, lashes thickening and starting to stick out as her eyes shifted from white to a simple grey.
The only one who hadn’t changed was Crystal Salt; That same hard and pointed hair, the white dough and white eyes. They hadn’t changed, not one bit , and it bothered them to no end as they watched the cookies awaken and watched how easily the others rushed to help them gather their bearings.

Those who followed their path, the path of Solidarity, were quiet and timid. Even as they’d grown the image of a silent protector, as they’d gained gifts from their friends and the followers underneath them, Crystal Salt was the Virtue that would sit and listen to your every woe.

A warrior’s body, yet the heart of a healer; Out of all of the Virtues, they were the one who was most quiet yet most kind.
They’d grown more comfortable like this. They’d begun to lead more, to become stronger and braver, to speak and laugh even among cookies they’d once considered strangers. Their community, their cookies brimmed with Solidarity, with understanding and love so potent it made them feel almost like a proud parent.

And then Mindful Milk had fallen.
Something changed in his demeanor; The closest friend of all of them to Crystal Salt, he’d started to grow more.. cold. More distant and focused on something else. He grew bored of tending to the cookies who only wanted more and more from him, his wants and desires for more knowledge leading to curiosity about how long it’d take for his cookies to want to crumble eachother.

Living in Paradise, Joyous Sugar had made a name for himself as Eternal Sugar; Sweet and kind and bubbly, ever spreading happiness. But as time went on, he’d gotten more and more tired. More and more bored of the monotonous life he’d been forced to lead. His heart seeked happiness in the coldest of places, the clutches of the dream world making him blind to the needs of the cookies who had relied so deeply on him that they’d become no good at sustaining themselves.

Red Spice had lost his flame. Had lost a kingdom as his cookies fell to their own darkness and tore themselves apart from war. White Flour, now Mystic Flour according to her followers, had been corrupted by the greed of those who begged and begged and never gave in return.

All that remained was Crystal Salt.

“Our Knight, you don’t have to do this.” The cookie begged, clutching the front of their armor as their expression strained under the helmet. “Please, without your voice to lead us, we’ll-" “please..”

This was their final decision.

The cookies they’d grown up with, the Virtues they’d fought alongside and the Beasts they’d become.
To live a life without those they considered family, it was no life that Crystal Salt could live. Who would they be without Mindful Milk’s laughter, or the roughhousing they’d do with Red Spice? Who would they be if they were left alone the day they’d been baked ?

“I made my decision, Salted Plum Cookie.. I need them.”

She looked heartbroken. But with a breath, she’d pulled away.
“I.. I understand, our knight.” She’d croaked, and the sound almost felt like daggers in their chest as she hesitated, gazing down at the hands that once spread blessings to all who seeked them.
And as she approached them, they shut their eyes as her hands gently wrapped where their neck would’ve been, eyes squeezing shut.
“With this vigil..
Crystal Salt Cookie, you will speak no more .”

“I grant my voice… to you, Salted Plum coo kie …”

The crusade wasn’t fun, but this was worse . To be locked in the shadows of the Silver Tree with the husks of their companions and a void in their chest. They’d abandoned all they knew, they were in the presence of friends- and yet, being so close to their friends they felt empty .
All the Beasts spoke of now was violence, bickering about who did what better and how they would’ve avoided this situation. This prison .
It wasn’t long until the lights they’d lost were repurposed. That vacant spot in their heart no longer able to be filled by the virtue of Solidarity as they watched each of their friends fall into a slumber.

One day- or night, they couldn’t tell anymore- Eternal Sugar could no longer wake up. Burning Spice had noticed after a while, and was the first to alert them, shaking his sibling in uncharacteristic horror .
“Hey- Hey ..! Sugar!- Wake up! This is NOT as good of a joke as you think it is ..!! ”
“ haah ..??” Shadow Milk grunted, shifting from where he’d been taking a nap and walking over, eyes widening slightly as he saw the motionless Eternal Sugar’s soul jam dim and lose its beautiful pink hue. “h-HEY!! ehhaha- uh - Sugeyy! You gotta wake up, now!” He chimed, joining in as Mystic Flour simply watched and Silent Salt felt themself freeze. “ Sugey! Sugey, come on !! ”

But Eternal Sugar no longer listened.

Not long after, Burning Spice’s booming voice had died out as well. He lay limp next to his sibling, and by this point, not even Shadow Milk’s pranks would wake him up. Frantic and desperate, he lifts a balled-up fist and pounds on Burning Spice’s stomach.
“ WHY WON’T YOU GET UP, SPICEY? YOU AND YOUR SIBLING AREN’T FUNNY RIGHT NOW! ” Shadow Milk cackled out hysterically; It was Mystic Flour who stepped forward, pulling him away lightly as Silent Salt stepped closer and placed a solemn hand on Burning Spice’s soul jam; its light, too, was dying.

But Mystic Flour fell soon after, as well. All Shadow Milk could do was clutch onto Silent Salt, eyes wide and once sadistic demeanor twisted and melting into something unhinged and animalistically distressed . His breathing uneven as he clutched onto Silent Salt, their arm almost aching from how tight his grip had gotten with time.
“You won’t.. hhaha - you won’t act like them and j-join in on the prank, right salt? Salty? Saltster?”
They nod slowly, reluctant before crossing their heart with their hand; For just a moment, they felt him relax as he chuckles, wheezes, and then sobs into their arm.

And they couldn’t help but feel so, so guilty they felt sick when they, too, fell into a slumber they couldn’t wake from.

They don’t know how they got here.
How they found themself on their knees at the feet of a smiling, unsettlingly cold cookie. How Shadow Milk, beside them, beamed and wrapped his arms around Silent Salt- yet they felt nothing in spite of his embrace, as though he wasn't actually there.

But once again, Silent Salt was needed.
And once again, Silent Salt was forced to their feet.