Chapter Text
It's been days since Pure Vanilla was rescued. Yet, he still feels a lingering presence, always there, cold, like a harbinger of doom.
He was sitting in the garden, gripping his staff like a lifeline, waiting, waiting for something to go wrong. Shadow Milk was still out there, doing anything, bidding his time, waiting to strike like a snake in grass. He was barely beginning to calm before a hand was placed on his shoulder, causing a jolt, and a sudden turn.
"Hey, calm down its just me." A soft voice responded.
Pure Vanilla slowly opened his staff's eye, then his own. Behind him stood his old friend, White Lily, her pristine white hair practically glowed in the sun, cranberry eyes sparkling.
"We're ready to leave, but I just wanted to make you were okay before I left."
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." He smiled, "I'll walk you out."
He grabbed her hand and began walking through the hallways, and streets, eventually reaching the gates. There stood a very familiar group, a woman with bronze skin, flapping her golden wings above another woman, this one with bright pink hair and a smile that could light up the room. Next to both of them stood a stoic man, grasping his sword, his dark tired eyes lazily watched his friends.
The woman with golden wings turned around, spotting her two friends, shouting wildly, waving her arms. "Hey, Hey! What are you two slowpokes doing? I want to go home!" Golden Cheese grinned, dropping to the ground and running over to Pure Vanilla, roughly grabbing his arm, dragging him to the others. Golden cheese stopped before their other friends, letting go of Pure Vanilla.
Hollyberry hugged Pure Vanilla, "I'm so glad you're okay! I can't imagine what it was like for you. I wish we could stay longer."
"It's quite alright." Pure Vanilla patted Hollyberry's arms.
She reluctantly let go, and Dark Cacao walked over, patting Pure Vanilla on the shoulder, and shaking Pure Vanilla's hand. "Stay safe."
Pure Vanilla nodded as he watched White Lily and the rest of his friends leave, disappearing into tiny dots in the distance. He wandered through the kingdoms streets for awhile after, smiling at the happy cookies. But, soon the sun set, and cookies began walking to their homes, leaving Pure Vanilla all alone. Not knowing what to do, he strode back to his castle. He didn't want to be alone, when he was alone, he could swear he felt eyes.
"The garden." He thought, "surely that will make me feel better."
So, he wandered into the castle's gardens, lilies and orchids danced in the wind and moonlight. He sat on the bench, placing his staff beside him, closing his eyes, embracing the calm. When he opened them again, he admired the beauty of the gardens, his gaze trailing over them, when they stared back.
In many of the flowers was a blue cyan eye, blinking, staring, then the laughter started. Slow, quiet, shifting into loud, maniac laughter, a truly deafening melody of insanity. Pure Vanilla slammed his hands on his head, a fruitless attempt to stop the noise. His breathing quickened, his chest felt tight, like there were strings restricting them, but he didn't see any. He whirled around in every direction possible, trying to locate the source of the laughter, but it was like it was coming from everywhere. His head was spinning, crouching down he pulled his knees closer to his chest, shutting his eyes, attempting to leave, to fall asleep, or-
"Silly, silly Vanilly! You want to leave so soon? That's FINE! You'll see me again very soon, anyway."
Pure Vanilla woke up with a start. Looking around, he was on the bench and all the orchids and lilies were back to normal, but most importantly, it was quiet. But, this only slightly lessened his panic and choking dread. Still feeling horrid, he left the garden, heading to his room. The moonlit halls were silent, and empty, but Pure Vanilla swore he could feel eyes on his back. Soon he reached his bed, and fell into dreamless sleep.
He woke up with sunlight streaming into his eyes, the bluebirds chirping sweetly, and a soft breeze. He got up, grabbing his staff, and wandering the halls. Suddenly a cookie runs up to him, blue hair curling around them, distraught carved into their cyan eyes.
"Please, please help! My house! It's...it's destroyed, and, and the grove around it is burning!" They said, shaky and out of breath.
"It'll be alright. Show me where it is."
The cookie quickly led them out of the kingdom into the woods, they continuously walked further and further, the trees just kept getting denser and denser. The roots choked the ground, trees grew tall and gnarled, reaching for the sky, racing against their fellow brethren for the soft embrace of the sun. Shadows and weeds reigned, spreading across the floor like a deep and dark ocean. The cookie gripped Pure Vanilla's hand, dragging him behind them, running through brush, weaving through trees, before abruptly stopping.
Pure Vanilla looked around, there was no house, no smoke, no fire, just thick trees and plants masking any exit, and branches covering the sky, casting an artificial night over the grove.
He turned to the cookie, who was just...staring. "Are you okay? Where...where is your house?"
The cookie scowled at him, before quickly switching to a manic smile. "Well, I did have a house, it was soooo beautiful. It had so many rooms, and I invited a guest. But, my guest was friends with some very bad cookies, and they took me guest away, and DESTROYED MY HOME!" Their mood quickly shifted, and Pure Vanilla swore he saw eyes peeking out from their hair. "But that's fine, I rebuilt it, stronger, better hidden, now no one will destroy it, only issue, my guest is still gone." They made a pouty face, bringing their knees to their chest, and smiling, tilting their head to an inhuman degree.
"I...I'm so sorry about that, but...um, if you do not currently require assistance, I'm going to leave." Pure Vanilla stammered, quickly backing away, while still facing the cookie.
"NO!"
Pure Vanilla felt strings around his arms and legs, causing him to drop his staff. He could see without, but it caused things far away to go blurry, meaning he only saw a blurry transformation of the cookie in front of him. But, even in this blurry state, Pure Vanilla knew exactly who it was. He saw his insane smile, hair curled like a jester hat, and cyan eyes, along with many more along his hair.
Shadow Milk laughed, "miss me? Admit it, you missed me."
Pure Vanilla opened his mouth, but before no words came out. The strings dropped him to the ground.
"Aww, cat got your tongue?"
"Ple...please, mercy." Pure vanilla stammered, desperately reaching for his staff.
Shadow Milk cookie strode over and kicked away the staff, looking down at Pure Vanilla. "Mercy? MERCY? You a low level thief, WHO STOLE MY SOUL JAM! And, yet, you still ask for mercy?"
Pure Vanilla was barely listening, his head felt light, his eyes closing, swallowing him in a void.
Shadow Milk stared at Pure Vanilla, then at his soul jam, then back at Pure Vanilla. He scooped him up, opening a portal to the spire, before pausing, going back, and grabbing Pure Vanilla's staff, and entering the portal.
On the other side lay an ominous spire, black, blue and gold. near the gates were two figures, one standing tall and quiet, the other, jumping up and down, squealing and waving her hands. Shadow milk smiled at them and greeting them before teleporting to one of the empty spire rooms. He dropped Pure Vanilla and the staff on the bed, and attempted a healing spell, before leaving and joining his minions.