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It was a dark and stormy night. The rain poured down heavily, but Pure vanilla didn't seem to mind since he found the rain to be calming in a way. He was combing his long hair while watching the rain and thinking to himself, It had already been a few days since the events of (at) the spire. During that time pure vanilla had looked in shadow milk past more so that he could understand him even better and as a result know what to say the next time they met. so maybe just maybe Shadow Milk wouldn't reject his offer. He wanted to be friends with him, he truly did and he could tell that Shadow Milk wanted that too but was too scared to take his hand. Pure Vanilla decided that he just needed to be patient and that Shadow Milk just needed some time to think. Pure vanilla was sure he'd come around sooner or later. As he thought about what to say he felt someone tap his shoulder. It was black raisin. She told him that someone asked to see him at the castle gates. "I told him that Pure Vanilla isn't accepting any visitors right now and that if he needs a place to stay he can go to the Inn. But he insisted on seeing you saying that he needs to and that he knows you. Another thing that seemed strange about them was that they seemed sad. I was rather skeptical at first but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
So if you aren't not too tired could you go see." Black Raisin asked. Pure vanilla agreed to do so and walked towards the castle gates. As he did so he wondered to himself "Could it be?" He questioned and the more he thought about it the more it seemed his theory was correct. When he opened the castle Gates he saw it. the cookie he was just thinking about, the cookie he wanted to see most right now. The beast of deceit and his other half-shadow milk cookie.
Of course, Pure Vanilla wasn't shocked that he was here since he had theorized this earlier but was still a little surprised nonetheless. "Shadow milk, what are you doing here?" pure vanilla asked. "I didn't know where else to go and I was tired of the other two bickering so much so I came here." Shadow Milk said sadly while looking down at the ground.
Pure Vanilla smiled and gently grabbed Shadow Milk's hand. He pulled him into the castle a bit so that he wouldn't be in the rain and gave him a warm hug. They stood there for a while locked in each other's embrace without a word said and Shadow Milk was on the verge of crying through it all. Some time later pure vanilla took shadow milk to one of the living rooms in the castle. There was a fireplace in the center next to the back wall and two couches facing each other with a table in between them. Shadow milk sat on one of the couches and pure vanilla wrapped a blanket around him that he found on the other couch.
Shadow Milk never stopped looking down until pure vanilla said that he would be right back. Shadow Milk immediately looked up and asked where he was going. "To make something for you I'm sure you'll like it" pure Vanilla announced with a bright smile. He later came back with two bowls of hot jelly stew and gave one to shadow milk. However, Shadow Milk didn't seem that interested in it and sorta just stared at it "Shadow Milk, you should eat. It will give you energy and will make you feel warmer, " Pure Vanilla said in a concerned voice. But Shadow Milk silently disagreed. He didn't need to eat, he never needed to in the past. Nothing could also make him truly feel 'warmer' because the more he used dark moon magic the colder he felt. It was to the point where he couldn't even feel it anymore. If any cookie were to touch him now they would think he was freezing. But this was just how he was, how he's always been ever since he became a beast. He did feel a bit warmer while hugging pure vanilla but it didn't last long and now he was back to feeling numb. When finally looked up from the stew he'd realize that pure vanilla was not on the couch across from him. But rather right next to him. "Come on Shadow Milk, you should eat." Pure Vanilla remarked. He held up a spoon next to Shadow milk's mouth. "I'm not a baby you don't need to feed me." Shadow Milk replied, Slightly annoyed.
"Well, you wouldn't eat it If it were up to you. Huh?" pure vanilla said with a smile. Shadow milk then started to lead back as the spoon got closer to him. However, it eventually went into his mouth when he couldn't lean back anymore. "So how is it?" Pure vanilla questioned. "It's good I guess…" Shadow Milk replied. After Shadow Milk finished the stew Pure vanilla he quickly finished his own. He then lead the shadow milk to one of the bedrooms in the castle and gave him some spare clothes since the ones he was wearing were still a little wet.Pure vanilla then left the room for a little bit and came back with a hairbrush. he then took a chair that was near a desk and started to comb his hair. Shadow Milk didn't say anything throughout the whole session but pure vanilla could tell what he was thinking. He knew shadow milk housed a lot of pain on the inside and had been suffering for so long. But he was sure that with enough love and affection, he would be alright. When he finished combing Shadow Milk's hair he then quickly made Shadow Milk's bed and was about to leave when something he didn't expect happened. The shadow grabbed his hand while barely looking at him. "Could you please stay for a bit? I need someone to talk to. Shadow Milk asked.
Pure vanilla agreed to do so. They both sat on the bed "I've been thinking a lot about what you said and I-I don't wanna be lonely anymore… I-I've just felt so sad recently." Shadow Milk said while snuffling. He looked as though he could cry at any second so Pure vanilla knew he needed to do something. He gently picked up shadow milk hands and shadow milk looked at him with a surprised but also sad look on his face. Pure vanilla started to speak with a bright smile and eyes open. "Hey it's ok shadow milk I'm here. If there's something you want to get off your chest then tell me slowly. Ok?" Pure vanilla was announced. Shadow Milk nodded. He then told him everything that he had been through, what it was like to slowly go insane from all the knowledge. To have cookies reject that knowledge, That truth, and favor lies instead. What it was like in that tree. All the pain, loneliness and doubt he felt. "I knew from the start that lying wouldn't make me feel better, not in the long run. But I didn't have any other choice! My life had been completely turned upside down, half of my soul jam was taken and I-I wasn't even the same cookie anymore. I-I hated that! I hated it so much! I hated how no one would ever forgive me or listen to me anymore. Even if I told them how I was feeling they would probably just think I was lying… To me lying was a good thing because it helped me forget about the cruel truth. But no matter how much I lied, the painful memories just kept coming back. They haunted me. Made me feel all that pain again and reminded me just how lonely I am. So I kept lying more and more, hoping that it would make me feel better even if it was just for a little bit." Shadow milk is expressed through sobs.
He was crying profusely now with his hands over his eyes. He gave shadow milk a big hug and said that it was ok and that he was here. "You don't have to be lonely, I'll always be here shadow milk. I want to help you and I truly want friends. So I'll ask you one more time: Shadow milk, do you want to be my friend?" Pure vanilla said compassionately while holding out his hand. "Even after everything I did to you how can you want to be my friend? how can you look at me and smile like that?" Shadow Milk replied in a distressed tone. "How can I not? A smile can help someone through even the toughest times. It can also soothe the sadness in someone's heart and I believe that is what you need the most. Shadow Milk realized that pure vanilla was right. His smile did make him feel a bit better and so did his affection. He had been craving that kind of affection for so long but didn't think anyone would give it to him. After looking his smile for a bit he wiped away his tears and slowly took Pure vanilla's hand. "Thank you, shadow milk. For taking my hand and telling me all that I know it must've been hard. But it's okay now I'll never leave you, we will be together forever." Pure vanilla said while giving a shadow milk another hug. After hugging you for a bit Pure Vanilla said good night to Shadow Milk But when Pure Vanilla was about to leave the room Shadow Milk grabbed his hand and asked if he could stay here just for the night. To which pure vanilla agreed. So they lay in bed together while holding hands as they slowly fell asleep with Shadow Milk being the first one to do so.