Chapter Text
“Oh… well, that wasn’t what I planned to do…”
Pure Vanilla Cookie sighed as he stared off his balcony high above the people of his kingdom. The remnants of an attempted spell drifted gently toward the floor as the healer observed the damage he had caused. Instead of a simple light spell, he had accidentally burnt through his very intricate railing, the golden waffle pieces melting to the floor around a dark ring of char still in the process of burning.
He shook his head in frustration before he slowly walked back inside, grabbing a pre-prepared bucket of water and carelessly splashing it onto the embers of his disaster.
Silently, he slumped onto his chair off to the side, a small huff escaping him as he settled in.
Every spell he has tried to cast since he returned from Beast-Yeast has backfired in some odd way. One time, he tried to heal a cut on his palm from when he was tending to some roses in the garden, and his hand turned into a paw, a cake hound paw! Another time, Pure Vanilla was trying to see in the dark, but instead of a dim light illuminating the path ahead, it was like being met by the sun itself. He spent the next few hours blinking dark spots out of his already terrible vision as he stumbled towards his room, tripping multiple times in the process. Then, he was trying to peek into the other realm once again, only to fall into a portal that opened beneath him into the middle of the Lake of Truth.
It was as if Shadow Milk’s powers were mocking him as well, the same mischievous flair stretching from across his physical form to the magic they shared.
Pure Vanilla stood up, shaking his head as he walked back inside. He’ll deal with the burnt balcony later; right now, he needed to figure out how to use his magic once again. Since he returned from Beast-Yeast, he was too busy managing the problems throughout the kingdom that had sprung up during his time there. Today was the first in a while when he wasn’t flooded with meetings and other obligations, because even though he relinquished his throne, the people of the kingdom still decided to elect him as a ruling official. It almost made his attempt at a democracy pitiful.
However, now was not the time to get upset over the uncontrollable. Pure Vanilla bowed his head and focused on summoning a portal to the other realm. This magic, he found, was the easiest thing to manage for the time being. Pure Vanilla was absolutely terrified the first time he opened the other realm in the Vanilla Kingdom, but he’s found it to be more useful than harmful as of late. He walked through the expanse of darkness, eyes opening throughout the realm to curiously watch him hurriedly conjure a new portal to the magic academy. Pure Vanilla made an effort to ignore the subtle presence of someone else’s magic, because ignorance is bliss, after all.
He practically ran through the new portal, quickly closing it behind him as he surveyed the training room. All around him were white waffle-plated walls specifically built to withstand any spell cast with an absorption spell that took all the magic it was struck with and dissipated it into the air. No damage done.
There were no students currently in the room, their training dummies spread neatly across the room from where he stood, their pale fabric decorated with various markings from the hits they’d taken.
Even though he knew the school would be empty, he was still nervous about someone being caught in the crossfire of his wayward magic. The healer flicked his wrist, checking the door to make sure it was locked before wincing, remembering how well his magic was operating as of late. Pure Vanilla took a deep sigh of relief when the door lock clicked. His magic hadn’t completely failed him.
Pure Vanilla took a deep breath and summoned a light spell, letting the foreign-feeling magic flow slower than he normally did. He spent what felt like forever focused on keeping the spell simple, and eventually, a weak light formed in his palm. The healer smiled brightly. He could control this magic. To experiment, he let the magic surge, aiming at a practice dummy across the room from him.
BOOM!
The dummy exploded from the concentrated light that pulverized the very flammable cloth. Pure Vanilla gasped, quietly checking his hand for burn marks, finding nothing of the sort marring his dough.
“Alright, too strong,” he muttered to himself. He knew he could control his light now; it just took a little more focus. That’s great! Now, for every other spell he’s messed up in the past few days…
~𖥔☾𖤓☽𖥔~
After a few extremely long hours of testing his magic once again, Pure Vanilla left the training room satisfied with his progress in restraining his powers once again. He opened a portal once more, returning to his dark bedroom and flopping on his large, cream-colored bed. His magic reserves were pretty depleted after all his casting, leaving a subtle ache in his side. However, Pure Vanilla was also very… forgetful and hadn’t eaten all day, meaning he wouldn’t replenish his magic if he didn’t eat something before going to bed.
Which meant he had to go grab a snack at this ungodly hour of night. Pure Vanilla, feeling extremely tired, reached through the other realm and poked his head out, opening the cabinet in his personal kitchen and scanning through what he had. He grabbed a pastry that Black Raisin had baked for him two days ago when she was bored and quietly munched on it while pursuing the paperwork on his desk.
He was going to call it a night when he saw a flash of obsidian-colored paper. Pure Vanilla hurriedly grabbed the envelope out of the pile and rushed to open it. A black sheet of paper awaited him, the message written in neat silvery ink. Pure Vanilla held the paper close to his face as he read over the document, his face scrunching up in worry.
Pure Vanilla,
Dark Enchantress Cookie once again is moving on to Beast-Yeast. Scouts have seen their movements when trekking across the edge of the shore. At the time of writing this, I am unsure of her intentions. However, I have heard murmurs of her partnership with the Beasts. I’ve sent similar letters to everyone else. The quickest response is ideal; we need a plan.
Best regards,
Dark Cacao Cookie
The air seemed to still around him as a pit formed in his stomach.
The Beasts and Dark Enchantress working together? Surely not…
Pure Vanilla decided on one thing, a very reckless thing, but something regardless. He needed to act, and he knew his friends wouldn’t risk anyone to do what needed to be done. They needed to get inside information, and Pure Vanilla needed to do something to gain their complete trust back after not telling them about White Lily Cookie’s connection to Dark Enchantress Cookie. He knew that even though they seemed to forgive him after the Council, he still felt the subtle tinge of hurt his withholding of the truth caused, and he needed to right that.
Pure Vanilla took a deep breath, steeling himself as he walked into the other realm. He stood still, waiting for the familiar feeling of another’s presence in the space. The feeling grew stronger and stronger until he felt hands roughly grab his shoulders and yank him backwards.
“What exactly do you think you’re doing here?” the voice of his captor hissed.
“Shadow Milk.” Pure Vanilla replied as he turned to face his other half. Shadow Milk’s hair was a mess, and his clothes were uncharacteristically wrinkled as he floated behind the healer.
He looks worried… something’s going on…
As Pure Vanilla stared, his grin turned sharper. Pure Vanilla opened his mouth to speak, but was immediately cut off, “Ah! I don’t want to hear it!” Shadow Milk wagged his finger in Pure Vanilla’s face, who just sidestepped his outstretched hand.
“Are you and the other Beasts working with Dark Enchantress?” Pure Vanilla watched as Shadow Milk’s sharp grin faltered for a quick moment before he recovered with an echoing laugh, “Of course I am, she’s the one who gave us our new bodies of course!” he paused, tilting his head to the side, “But that surely isn’t the only reason you’re here, because I made sure that you couldn’t access this realm, but here you are!”
“We share this realm, Shadow Milk. I felt your spell, but it didn’t stop me; it just felt a little… unnerving." Pure Vanilla muttered, the slight white lie making his soul jam hum a little stronger as he summoned the magic to exit the realm.
Shadow Milk growled loudly and hurriedly grabbed his wrist, “Oh-ho-ho, you’re not leaving yet, Nilly. You just need to tell me why you’re here! Think I’ll hear out your little friendship offer, hmm? Well, too bad!”
“I wasn’t going to mention it; it seemed you wished to drop that conversation.” Pure Vanilla gently removed Shadow Milk’s hand from his wrist, patting it as he did, “However, the offer still remains if you ever wish to take it. I won’t force it. Besides, you already told me everything I wanted to hear.”
With that, Pure Vanilla opened a portal beneath his feet and willingly fell through, watching Shadow Milk’s face contort into rage, a loud growl emitting from the other as the portal closed behind him. Pure Vanilla yelped as his back hit the floor of his bedroom, wincing as he stood up.
“Ow, that… wasn’t my smartest move.” Pure Vanilla whispered as he let his healing magic flow through his throbbing back. When he deemed his work satisfactory, he went back to his desk, gingerly sitting down so as not to agitate his newly-healed back.
He quietly lifted his quill to respond to Dark Cacao, retelling his brief interaction with Shadow Milk as he confirmed the other’s suspicion.
Pure Vanilla bit the end of his quill as he considered a new, even more dangerous possibility. He knew if anyone was to go into Dark Enchantress’s lair, it would be Gingerbrave and his friends. A pang of guilt hit Pure Vanilla, making him set down his quill. He didn’t want to put the little trio through something like this, a spy mission with stakes higher than space itself. He took a deep breath as he finished off his letter to Dark Cacao.
… I will conduct my own mission into Beast-Yeast to gather more information. I do not wish for anyone to join me. Please do not alert the others, Dark Cacao. I'll be fine; I’ll report back as soon as I return.
With love,
Pure Vanilla Cookie
Perhaps this wasn’t his brightest idea, but Pure Vanilla knew someone was going to have to do it eventually. He only felt comfortable risking himself for this, not wanting to bother anyone else with his reckless ideas. He summoned one of his bluebirds with a soft whistle, handing it the letter.
“Send this to Dark Cacao, please.” The bluebird, Opal, as he recognised from the dark spot on her right wing, nodded curtly before taking off.
Pure Vanilla nodded quietly before he began getting ready for bed. He had a long few days ahead of him.
~𖥔☾𖤓☽𖥔~
The morning sun was a warm welcome for the healer as he rolled out of bed. However, that was ruined by the remembrance of his plan from the night prior. Pure Vanilla grumbled loudly as he walked to his bathroom to get ready for his journey. He looked into the mirror, letting his illusory magic do the work of hiding his most identifying features. His hair turned a rusty brown, his eyes settling on a deep red, while the magic completely covered up the star on his forehead. He pulled his hair up into a tight ponytail, letting a few pieces fall to cover his face. Pure Vanilla took a slow breath as he stepped back from the mirror, silently observing his work.
It’s fine, he told himself, I look so silly right now, but based on what I saw as Healer Cookie, most of her guards have similar coloration. I don’t have to be perfectly blended in anyway; she won’t notice one newbie in her sea of loyal soldiers… hopefully.
He discarded his fancier robes for a simpler outfit. A black turtleneck with the sleeves cut and long brown pants seemed to be optimal for the potential running and fighting he might have to do. Pure Vanilla hid his souljam under the turtleneck, using more illusionary magic to hide the bump it made in the fabric. He pulled a mask over his face to help hide his emotions if his poker face failed him.
Pure Vanilla spun around in his disguise, and feeling satisfied with his work, he opened a portal, focusing all his magic to stretch the other realm as far as he could go into Beast-Yeast.
As he stepped through, the other realm tugged ruthlessly at his magic reserves. Pure Vanilla tumbled out the other side with an ache in his chest from the sheer amount of magic taken up in a short period of time.
I’m fine, he thought to himself, I got through, I just need to figure out how to sneak in.
He wandered the forest, listening for any sign of life. The trees stretched on endlessly, and every step seemed like a gamble as he was met with varying dangerous plants that tried to trip, poison, and bite him. However, Pure Vanilla kept pushing through; he just needed to keep going, that's all.
It felt like hours before he heard someone yelling. Pure Vanilla remained calm as two soldiers in deep red armor ran up to him, brandishing shiny weapons with sharp points at his chest.
“State your allegiance, outsider.” The one on the right hissed.
“I’m not an outsider, I just got lost, I’m new here.” Pure Vanilla’s heart leaped, hoping they bought his lie.
The guard on the left sighed dramatically, “I swear, you Newbies are the worst. Get going, the fortress is that way.” The other guard pointed behind them, “Just keep walking straight. Don’t get lost again, Newbie, or next time we’ll report you to Dark Enchantress for insubordination.”
“Of course.” Pure Vanilla muttered, bowing his head as he walked into the dense foliage. As soon as he was out of their sight, he quickened his steps, his heart racing as he travelled closer to the supposed fortress.
As he passed through a thick clearing of trees, his eyes widened. A looming black fortress towered over him, with high walls that ended abruptly, making the whole building look like a cube, guards circling the base of the building in structured, uniform steps. Pure Vanilla put confidence in his step as he entered the large entrance, brushing past the guards and entering the building with a few others who were also walking in from different directions of the forest.
Odd, security lets anyone in… maybe they don’t think any of the Ancients would be dumb enough to risk their lives or anyone else’s going into the place where all the Beasts and Dark Enchantress resided… well… I guess I get to prove them wrong.
Pure Vanilla shook himself from his thoughts as he followed closely behind a group of cookies, all with dark clothing that concealed their faces and features, listening in on their conversation.
“Wonder what Dark Enchantress wanted from us.” One in a red hoodie spoke from the front, their head turned to their left.
“Not sure. She said she wanted every loyalist there, though.” Another, in a dark brown cloak, tossed their head, a strand of purple hair peaking out from the shadows.
The next voice was younger, sending a pang of empathy through the healer, “Did you hear she told the Beasts not to come to this meeting? I heard she might’ve banned them, even made them swear to not go… I wonder why.”
She banned them? That might be the reason why Shadow Milk was so worked up when I saw him yesterday, she must’ve just told him…
The group’s steps slowed as they approached a larger gathering of people. The mass was filling into multiple doors; however, the upstairs access ones seemed empty of foot traffic, so Pure Vanilla quietly diverged from the group as they entered the large auditorium, heading up the stairs as they walked down the aisles to the floor.
The stairs were completely empty as he silently walked up, his footsteps echoing slightly as he walked up, the curving stairs narrowing as he reached the top. Rows of seats, void of any other cookies, were dimly lit by the torches that lined the walls of the auditorium. He frowned, his fear spiking over the absence of anyone else.
Must be because everyone here wants to be close to Dark Enchantress Cookie.
Pure Vanilla scanned the area, deciding the quickest exit was the furthest he could get from the first door he entered, one that no one seemed to even consider entering. He cast a new illusory spell, making him invisible against the clear walls that made up the edge of the balcony. It was a smart idea, honestly; it gave Dark Enchantress the ability to make sure everyone was under control. However, its simple existence made Pure Vanilla’s anxiety shoot through the roof.
What if someone saw me? What will she do if I get caught? Surely I can escape… unless Shadow Milk helps her. It was at this moment that he realised just how idiotic he was. He was like a sheep in a locked cage full of wolves, utterly helpless.
Pure Vanilla shook his head; it would do him no good to worry. He steadied his breathing, pushing away every concern he had, refocusing on his surroundings.
It was silent in the auditorium as he waited. Then, he heard the soft tapping of a new person’s footsteps. His heart skipped a beat when his soul jam shivered, a clear sign to both of them who exactly was in the auditorium as well.
Oh no…
Then, to Pure Vanilla’s great luck, a figure in all black came to the top of the staircase, their face hidden by a mask and a hood that covered their eyes. Pure Vanilla watched as they scanned the seats with careful precision, searching for something.
They shook their head and settled into a seat that hid them from the view of anyone down below, their black outfit blending in seamlessly with the dark lighting. Pure Vanilla tried to quiet his breathing so as not to alert the newcomer of his presence.
The large group gathered behind him quieted, their earlier chatter immediately hushed. Pure Vanilla held his breath, the silence too loud for his panic.
Then, he heard her.
“My wonderful loyalists, are you ready for a revolution?”
Pure Vanilla slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping across the now-screaming auditorium. The black walls were illuminated by weakly lit lanterns, making the seats impossible to see. The only thing well-lit in the whole place was Dark Enchantress Cookie herself, an eerie red glow shining brightly behind her against the black curtains.
Really trying to achieve that evil-villain vibe…
“Yes, yes!” Her voice boomed, a grin visible even from Pure Vanilla’s vantage point. Her gaze swept the auditorium. “However, I must make sure of one thing, guards, did you complete your sweep?”
Pure Vanilla couldn’t see the guard’s confirmation, but Dark Enchantress’s satisfied nod was enough for him.
“Alright, we may begin.” Dark Enchantress’s magic filled the air, creating an illusion of the five Beasts. He heard the quiet scoff of the figure behind him as the illusion moved with surprising fluidity, the likeness of the Beasts oddly complementary, yet there were things off about each one, like an oddly colored eye or a misshapen wing, or too little shine in their soul jam.
Her voice turned serious, not stuttering with her foreboding warning, “These, Beasts, are the downfall of our project here. They’re too… attached to their ‘other halves’. They run the risk of complete destruction of everything we’ve accomplished if they join forces with their other halves.” Pure Vanilla watched as the scene above her changed to a visage of Hollyberry with the Beast of Sloth. Then, to Dark Cacao and the Beast of Apathy. Then Golden Cheese and the Beast of Destruction. She seemed to hesitate as the image of White Lily surfaced before it quickly shifted to Pure Vanilla and Shadow Milk. Curiously, she didn’t show her other half, the Beast of Silence.
Perhaps she refuses to see herself as the “other half” of either Ancient or Beast; or maybe she believes she has broken the link between herself and White Lily Cookie because she doesn’t directly possess the souljam? But it hurt her to know that, so she didn’t show it in order not to remind herself of that? Pure Vanilla thought, a frown working its way onto his face, I assume, no one here knows who she was; they just see her as an insanely powerful revolutionary figure…
“However!” her voice rudely cut through his thoughts, returning the healer to the present time, “We must continue to work with them until the time is right. I’ve seen many of you all cast your judgment, and while justified, we must remain under their good terms until we have the power to take their soul jams once and for all.” Dark Enchantress paused, her gaze approving as the audience cheered loudly.
Pure Vanilla heard a growl behind him, seeing the black-hooded figure storm over to his position and settle next to him, a glow around their wrist betraying their location. The figure hurriedly covered the glow, but it was too late. Pure Vanilla heard the noise of metal meeting concrete as a guard desperately ran toward Dark Enchantress.
How? I can’t be seen right now?!
Heterochromatic eyes glared at him from under the hood. “I’ll deal with you later, Pure Vanilla. Right now, it seems I’m coming with you.”
Then the guard rushed onto the stage, finally visible under the hazy red light, his demeanor full of panic as he shouted something incomprehensible at Dark Enchantress. There was a loud gasp from Dark Enchantress Cookie, and she began to yell, her voice filled with authority, but it was laced with panic, “Loyalists! It appears that one of the Beasts is somehow among us! Find them. Look for the white glow! They took on an enchantment that allowed them to be detected!”
Pure Vanilla nearly screeched as the hooded figure grabbed his still-invisible arm and dragged him toward the exit.
“Make a portal, now.” Shadow Milk hissed, “If they find me, they’ll most definitely find you.”
Pure Vanilla paused, releasing his invisibility spell in order to summon a portal to the other realm. “Why are you helping me?”
“I’m not, I just-” Shadow Milk paused, his head snapping to the steps where guards and loyalists were flooding in.
Pure Vanilla didn’t hesitate this time, making a portal to the other realm and shoving Shadow Milk in before jumping in and closing it behind them.
Shadow Milk sighed loudly, his demeanor now lax as they were safely hidden in the other realm, “As I was saying, I just didn’t want to make a portal myself. Besides, I have more important things to worry about, Nilly!” he grabbed his glowing wrist, the spell shattering with a loud pop. He winced, holding his side for a second before recovering quickly.
“Your magic reserves are still low?” Pure Vanilla guessed, “And you don’t want to waste it on something so trivial when I’m right here?”
“I-” Shadow Milk fell backward, kicking his legs mid-air, “Shut up.”
Pure Vanilla released his illusion spell and ran a hand absentmindedly through his blonde hair, “So, what now? We can’t stay here forever.”
The jester paused his kicking tantrum to flash Pure Vanilla a deadpan stare, “Are you serious right now? Open a new portal far away from here, idiot.”
“I can’t promise this is going to go well. I’ve been using this illusion spell for hours.” Pure Vanilla winced, “I’m not sure if I’m up to long-distance travel yet.”
“Well, go on, I’ll figure out the rest.” Shadow Milk waved his hand, a dismissive gesture to shut Pure Vanilla up.
The healer focused, and a shaky portal opened, the edges fuzzier, unlike his normal portals, which were sharper around the edges. Shadow Milk peered out at the forest and muttered a curse under his breath.
“Can’t go any further?”
“No, I think I can only go short distances right now.”
Shadow Milk grimaced, his hands clasping together as he held them to his face, “I hate myself for this already.”
Pure Vanilla stood in shock as his other half disappeared in a puff of showy smoke, shifting into a small black dragon with cyan wings and a deep blue diamond pattern going down his back and up to the tip of his tail. Shadow Milk shook himself off before lowering his wing closest to Pure Vanilla, “Let’s go, I’ll fly, and you open portals.”
Not having to be told twice, Pure Vanilla climbed onto his back. Without warning, Shadow Milk took off, only to be greeted by a shrill warning call as weapons and magic fired off at the two. Pure Vanilla summoned a shield to protect them as Shadow Milk dove through the thick foliage.
“Portals Vanilla, don’t waste your magic on defense!” Shadow Milk growled out as he almost collided with a tree.
The healer obliged, and Shadow Milk dove into the new portal, “New one, come on, Nilly!”
Pure Vanilla opened a portal back into the real world, sending them soaring past Dark Enchantress’s army. Shadow Milk suddenly soared upward through the tree branches, panicking as arrows flew past them. He shook his head, diving back into the safety of the trees. They were coming up to an impasse where soldiers were gathered in a wall formation.
“To your right!” Pure Vanilla yelled. Shadow Milk threw himself into the new portal as Pure Vanilla created a new one just past the wall of soldiers.
In and out they dove between trees, branches mercilessly smacking into their faces as the strikes and yelling from Dark Enchantress’s forces dissipated into the distance behind them.
Shadow Milk collapsed as soon as they reached Beast-Yeast’s shore, letting Pure Vanilla hop off his back before shifting back into his normal cookie form.
The ever-dramatic jester sighed loudly, “It most likely isn’t safe here for me, which is just great.” Shadow Milk ran a hand over his face, groaning loudly, “Good thing I didn’t bring Candy Apple and Black Sapphire with me to that rancid fortress.”
Pure Vanilla nodded and opened a new portal, “I think I can reach my kingdom from here…” he looked hesitant at Shadow Milk, “Would you like to join me?”
“Well, because I snuck into a meeting I wasn’t supposed to be in and essentially ruined my reputation among my allies, and you decided to reveal yourself, which makes it look like I planned to have you come to my rescue,” the jester flashed him a grimace, “I guess I have no other choice! Thank you for that!”
“I was also trying to get out of there.” Pure Vanilla muttered.
“So now she knows you know everything too! Lovely, fun. Well, no time like the present! Make your portal so we aren’t handing ourselves over to her on a silver platter!” Shadow Milk tilted his head, “She’s persistent, I’ll give her that!” he snorted loudly, “I’m not sure why I didn’t break that stupid spell before I went in, I didn’t even notice it until I sat next to you and it decided that was the right time to light up like a good little beacon!”
Pure Vanilla quietly sighed, shaking his head as he summoned one last portal with Shadow Milk behind him. He mentally prepared himself for the onslaught of magic he was about to use, already thinking about the long nap he was taking after this.
The other realm seemed to pull every ounce of magic he had left as the two travelled through. Weakly, Pure Vanilla opened the last portal, spilling out into his room with Shadow Milk in tow. He wavered unsteadily on his two feet, his vision spinning.
“You look terrible, Nilly.” Shadow Milk commented.
“I am aware.” Pure Vanilla grumbled as he flopped onto his bed face-first.
Shadow Milk tilted his head, “Well, it seems you’re not going to be fun until you recover.”
Pure Vanilla nodded weakly before he passed out, feeling his mattress shift slightly before he blacked out.