Chapter Text
Shadow Milk Cookie clutched his head, trying to block out the cacophony of voices that asked him senseless questions. He was crying. It was too much. Everything that he was. All of it was too much. And it still is. Just as everything was becoming too much, the walls fell away, and the silence lifted.
Shadow Milk gasped and collapsed to his knees, clutching his gut. He opened his eyes, looking up to see a black monster laughing, its sickening red eyes squinting down at him in delight. He stared up in absolute terror. True horror and fear gripped his heart like a cold embrace.
He quickly tried to form a shield around him, to no avail. All that came out was a weak flick of his blue magic. Shadow Milk stared at his hand, then looked down at his Souljam. It was grey, void of any life.
He turned to see the other beast cookies in shock and staring up at the strange creature. Their soul jams were also grey. Shadow Milk looked over to the ancients to see them in the same state, shocked and confused, Souljams bland and colorless.
He watched at Pure Vanilla Cookie put a forcefield up around all of his friends. He watched as Burning Spice raged and tried to take down the creature before being swatted to the side like a gnat. He watched Eternal Sugar cushion Burning Spices fall. He watched Mystic Flour break her apathy to show true dread as she started using her own magic to heal her wounds.
Shadow Milk Cookie watched. And all he felt was pure, unbridled rage.
Everyone else had powers, so why didn’t he? Why couldn’t he use his magic? Why was he weakened? His thoughts swam in frustration before he was snapped out of his pity party by an intense pang of pain from his gut. He let out a small cry of pain before it morphed into a violent coughing fit. He could taste his own blueberry jam in his mouth.
Shadow Milk looked up, dizzy from the pain. All of the other cookies had moved away from the monster. All of them, except for him. He turned to see the beast cookies and ancient cookies watching him. Pure Vanilla was the closest one to him, pure fear in his milky eyes. Whether it was fear for himself or for Shadow Milk, the jester didn’t know.
Shadow Milk turned, looking back up at the monster, only to see it reaching towards him with its large, clawed hand. He quickly tried to stand and fly off, but all he could do was lift himself off the ground barely an inch before collapsing into a heap from the pain that attacked him from his movement.
He looked up just in time to see the hand right above him before its tight grip mercilessly closed itself around his body, restricting his arms and squeezing his gut. He let out a chocked scream, his vision dancing with black spots.
Shadow Milk went limp, gasping for air. The creature moved to bring Shadow Milk up to in front of its face. He looked up, adrenaline coursing through his jam. The creature smiled, its spiraling red eyes pinning Shadow Milk in place.
“Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha!” The monster laughed, staring down at Shadow Milks terrified face. “You look so much better like that, little jester! I must say, I was not pleased when you went against my orders to stay in place. So I think a punishment is in dire need.” The creature suddenly dropped Shadow Milk, letting him fall to the ground.
He twisted in the air, trying to use his magic to fly yet again, but failing. His arm took the brute force of the fall, causing a loud crack to resonate. He let out a yelp, shaking. He looked up through his daze of pain to see the creature looming over him with one claw out. Shadow Milk stared in horror as the claw came down and stabbed its sharp point into his hand that was cracked from his fall.
A blood curdling scream ripped its way out of Shadow Milks mouth, hot tears running down his face. Just as quickly as the claw had stabbed through, it was removed from his hand, prompting yet another scream.
The creature reached down, suddenly grabbing Shadow Milks hair and pulling, lifting him up to his feet roughly. He let out a whimper, his legs weak. A loud slicing sound echoed, and Shadow Milk felt his hair separate, removing the one thing that was keeping him standing. He fell to the ground for what felt like the hundredth time today and looked up to see his once lively blue and black hair gripped by the creatures clawed hand.
He grimaced, looking to see his hair now at shoulder length, curling at the ends. His observation was cut short as he was roughly grabbed by his broken arm and lifted up quickly. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. He felt the monsters other hand wrap around his frail torso and squeeze.
Shadow Milk gasped, trying to breathe but failing. The pressure intensified and Shadow Milk felt some of his ribs crack, only breaking after one more brutal squeeze. His vision went dark for a few seconds, body going limp. As his senses returned, he heard a familiar voice yelling.
“Shadow Milk Cookie! Use your magic! Get away from her!” Shadow Milk opened his eyes and looked down at Pure Vanilla Cookie through his lashes.
“I… c-can’t.” Shadow Milk wheezed, his voice hitching from the pain. Pure Vanilla grimaced, his posture tense. “Dark Enchantress Cookie! Let him go!” Pure Vanilla cried, his gaze shifting to the monster still holding Shadow Milk.
“Dark Enchantress Cookie? That is my name no longer, Pure Vanilla Cookie. Now, I am Dark Enchantress, a being with power beyond that of a cookie!” Dark Enchantress laughed, shifting her focus back onto Shadow Milk. “Now, I think it’s time our jester here learned to follow orders.” She said, dropping the beast. Shadow Milk hissed as his injured body was yet again damaged. His vision danced with spots for a few seconds, causing him to groan.
As Shadow Milk’s head cleared, he noticed a bright, eye scorching light surrounding him. His eyes widened. He knew what this spell was. The binding spell. The moment the spell activated, his magic would be violently suppressed, leaving him powerless. Shadow Milk was strong, but only with his magic. Without his magic enforcing his dough, he would barely be able to stand, let alone walk.
Shadow Milk scrambled, desperately trying to get away from the chaos magic. Dark Enchantress’s hand suddenly smashed down on him, pinning him to the ground and knocking the air out of him. He wheezed, gasping for air. The red glow brightened, searing his retinas and burning his dough. Shadow Milk struggled against the hand holding him down to no avail.
The light brightened, and suddenly chains shot out of the ground, smashing into Shadow Milk and restraining him completely. The hand holding him left, leaving him pressed into the ground by the magic chains. Shackles snapped around his wrists and ankles, and a large metal band clinked around his neck.
Shadow Milk immediately felt his magic being suppressed. The ever present chill that was in his dough washed over him fully, leaving him shivering. He could feel his dough cracking. The spell faded, as did the chains, leaving the shackles and neck band still on. Shadow Milk stayed where he was, his mind foggy.
The ice in his dough became worse, leaving him stiff. He heard fighting happening above him, and heard voices yelling.
He should help them. He should help them fight that monster. But he didn’t have any magic left. He would only get in the way.
Shadow Milk laid there, his thoughts slow as if trudging through waist deep snow. He had to fight. He had to help. Shadow Milk let out a weak growl before forcing his crumbling body to move.
He groaned as he put pressure on his injured body, more jam seeping out of the various cracks. Shakily, the jester stood, stumbling slightly. Shadow Milk looked to see all of the cookies fighting the monster to the best of their abilities, but it wasn’t enough.
Burnin Spice Cookie and Eternal Sugar Cookie were both beginning to crumble, Silent Salt Cookies armor was scratched and beaten, Pure Vanilla Cookie looked as though he had fallen into a puddle of jam, and the other ancients were currently launching themselves at Dark Enchantress.
Shadow Milk watched as Hollyberry Cookie was hit violently to the ground, only barely getting out unscathed thanks to Eternal Sugar Cookie catching her. It was a loosing battle. What could Shadow Milk do when he was on the brink of crumbling?
Just as he almost lost hope, a flash of green light illuminated the sky before a large beam of magic struck Dark Enchantress in the shoulder. The witch screamed, whipping around to see White Lily Cookie standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the scene.
“Dark Enchantress! It’s time we ended this. You will give back every cookies Souljam and you will surrender.” Dark Enchantress laughed at White Lily Cookies words. “You really think you can stop me? You are a weaker version of me! The past that I have yet to destroy! Just because you have awakened does not mean you can kill me!”
White Lily did not respond, but instead glanced down at the beasts and ancients. Her eyes brushed on their bruised and battered forms, then her wine red eyes landed on Shadow Milk. Something flashed through her eyes, gone as fast as it had came. No one else might have seen it, but Shadow Milk did.
He had seen a flicker of guilt. He hissed, knowing that she thought it was her fault. Truly, it was his. Had he not been so weak… had he not killed Elder Faerie… had he helped the ancients instead of hurt them… maybe everything wouldn’t have come to this.
Shadow Milk was snapped out of his thoughts by White Lily Cookie suddenly launching forward and hitting Dark Enchantress with a powerful spell. She landed next to Silent Salt, giving him a nod of approval before the both of them together charged at Dark Enchantress. Shadow Milk watched as the fight resumed.
He stood there, exhausted and frustrated by everything happening. He was the most weak one of them all. Now that he didn’t have any magic to use, he was truly worthless. They would send him back to that wretched tree, just like before. The other beasts would get a chance, but he wouldn’t. Even Pure Vanilla had gotten mad at him.
Shadow Milk felt all his hope crumble. There was no way out for him. Not anymore. It was either he went back to the tree and rotted away for another millennia, or he fought and died here. Death sounded nice. He had caused so much pain and suffering, that now all of that agony had been smashed into him. And he deserved it. He deserved to be humiliated, to be hurt, to be crumbled.
Shadow Milk gulped before making his decision. He would redeem himself. He would show his resolve and passion through fighting Dark Enchantress. He would silence her, destroy her, and show that he would never fall back into sloth again. He would show the abundance of his compassion for his minions, and for the cookies who had given him a chance. He would show them that he wasn’t just deceit.
He would bring this world happiness, solidarity, change, volition, and peace. He would show the world that he wasn’t just a tool, or a jester. No. He would show the world how powerful knowledge was. He would show them how even the worst of cookies could change, even if he didn’t believe that he himself could.
He was too far gone, but everyone else still had something to fight for. He didn’t. So he was the perfect cookie to sacrifice.
Shadow Milk looked to see all of the ancients and beasts as well as the three normal cookies huddled on the floor, hiding under a cracked shield from Pure Vanilla Cookie. Shadow Milk watched as Dark Enchantress hit the shield repeatedly, cracks spider webbing outward.
He growled, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He dashed forward, skidding to a stop in front of the shield. Dark Enchantress halted, staring down at the bleeding blue cookie. She laughed before looking down at Shadow Milk. “Are you going to try to stop me by yourself? With no magic? You’re on the verge of crumbling! Give up, Shadow Milk Cookie!” Shadow Milk narrowed his eyes, his fists tightening.
“What’s with the sudden change of heart? I thought you hated Pure Vanilla Cookie and all of his friends.” Dark Enchantress mused. “I never truly hated anyone. Only myself. And I had decided that the best course of action would be to inflict the pain I felt onto others. I’ve hurt many. I’ve killed many. I’ve done horrible things that I cannot redeem. I know I’m too far gone, but I can’t just stand by and watch them die.” Shadow Milk said, gesturing to the shield behind him.
“I never had friends. I never had a real life. I never got what any other cookie got. But I won’t make that anyone’s problem anymore. No more will anyone go through what I went through. I’ll shoulder that pain alone. And if that means me taking you down, then I’ll do it, even if it means I crumble.”
Dark Enchantress growled, a hand coming down to smash him. He darted out of the way, skidding to a stop and quickly latching onto one of her claws fingers. Dark Enchantress screamed in outrage and attempted to shake Shadow Milk off. He hissed, sinking his teeth into the gooey body.
Dark Enchantress suddenly swung violently, throwing Shadow Milk off and into the ground. He grunted, sliding to a stop before quickly standing back up and dashing forward again. He weaved between Dark Enchantress’s legs, looking for a weak spot. He hissed when one of her claws managed to slice him, cutting a deep gash into his leg.
He quickly moved again, darting back in front of her and looking over her body. Shadow Milks eyes landed on the pulsing red heart in the center of her chest. He looked closely to see a slight rainbow shifting inside, and the realization hit him. Those were the Souljams. They were in her heart. He needed to somehow open the heart to release the magic of the others.
With a new goal in mind, Shadow Milk zigzagged through the witches attacks and jumped as high as he could onto Dark Enchantress’s body. He crawled his way up, struggling to move against the stick black goo. A hand suddenly wrapped around him, lifting him up fast enough to make his ears pop.
He growled as he met Dark Enchantress’s singular visible eye. “I think this has gone on long enough. I think it is time for a witch to do what a witch does best.” Dark Enchantress opened her mouth tossing a shocked Shadow Milk into it and swallowing without chewing.
He squeezed his eyes shut as his lithe body slid down before landing in a puddle of something rather foul smelling. It burned his dough, causing pain to flare up all over him. Shadow Milk surfaced and gasps blinking his eyes open to see himself surrounded by a red bubbling liquid that faintly glowed. He hissed, swimming as best he could over to where he saw a bump of what looked to be a dry spot. He pulled himself up and coughed violently, immediately trying to ignore the jam that flecked in his lips.
Shadow Milk looked around, terrified of the situation he was in. He had just been swallowed by Dark Enchantress and had most likely been burned by what seemed to be stomach acid. He quickly stood, scanning the area for a way to escape before it occurred to him. Dark Enchantress’s new body was made of a black, sticky goop, meaning he could possibly carve his way out. It was just gonna be very gross is all.
He took a few deep breaths before wading back into the acid and swimming over the one of the walls. He hissed at the burning feeling, tears stinging in his eyes from the pain. Quickly, he dug his bruised hands into the sticky wall, scooping globs of goo out.
Shadow Milk shoved himself into the cavity he had managed to make, shuddering at the feeling of the cold liquid covering his body. Slowly but surely he dug his way out, only stopping when he saw a bit of light. He looked out to see Dark Enchantress holding Pure Vanilla Cookie in one of her hands, ranting about how powerful she was now.
Shadow Milk grimaced before shoving his head out and looking up to see the heart right above his head. He grinned. Bingo. He quickly swung himself to the side, dislodging himself from the goo and clawing his way up to the heart.
Dark Enchantress stopped her rambling, her eye wandering down to the strange feeling on her body. Shadow Milk pulled himself up, staring at the heart in awe before hearing a scream of outrage that reverberated through his whole body. He scrambled close to the heart, avoiding Dark Enchantress’s hand. Shadow Milk turned, looking at the beating organ before yelling and shoving his hand into it.
A hole ripped through, allowing a mix of black goo and a strange red liquid tasting of metal to gush over him. He lifted his head and gasped for air as the flow slowed. Shadow Milk felt the Souljams inside, pulsing, calling, speaking. Slowly, he moved his hand around, almost throwing up at the feeling of what seemed to be tissue that the witches were made up of.
Quickly, he seized the first Souljam he could grab and ripped it out violently, prompting a bone rattling scream to resonate from Dark Enchantress’s heart. Shadow Milk glanced at the gem, seeing a rigid heart shape before turning back to the ancients and beasts. “ETERNAL SUGAR COOKIE!” Shadow Milk threw the Souljam as hard as he could before turning back to the heart.
He plunged his hand in a second time, pulling out Silent Salt Cookies Souljam. He repeated the process with every Souljam before he was left with his and Pure Vanilla Cookies. Dark Enchantress had been screaming the whole time, desperately trying to get Shadow Milk out of the cavity to no avail. He had to burrow himself back into the goo to prevent her from grabbing him. Shadow Milk ripped the two Souljams out before bracing for the worst as the body around him began to melt.
Dark Enchantress let out one last scream before her whole body collapsed in on itself, swallowing Shadow Milk and gushing down to the floor. The blue cookie held his breath, only breathing when the liquid spread out around him, leaving him in a large puddle of dark red and black goo.
He panted, lifting up the two remaining Souljams before shakily standing and walking over to where Pure Vanilla Cookie stood. He winced when he saw the gashes and cuts all of the beasts and ancients had across their bodies. Slowly, he limped over and stopped in front of Pure Vanilla Cookie.
“I believe these belong to you.” Shadow Milk said, holding out the two blue crystal. Pure Vanilla opened his eyes in shock, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. “But Shadow Milk! It’s your Souljam!” Shadow Milk snorted.
“Not anymore. I don’t know if you’ve realized, but I’m actively crumbling right now.” Shadow Milk deadpanned, gesturing to the crumbs falling off his body. “Hng… I’m too far gone anyway. You deserve to bring the world compassion. I’m but a shadow of what you are. You are… the hero, Pure Vanilla Cookie. Not me. I’m the monster that hurt you and tortured you. No cookie will ever accept that I have changed. Not even I can.”
All at once the adrenaline that had been holding him up for so long vanished in an instant, causing him to let out a weak cry and collapse, just barely being caught by Pure Vanilla. “Shadow Milk! Don’t do this! Please! Hold on a little longer! I can help you!” Pure Vanilla begged, cradling Shadow Milk. “Just let me heal you! We can head back to the kingdom, or an airship, and I can heal all of your wounds. I just need to you stay a little longer.”
“Not happening, Nilla. Urgh… it’s about time I died… it’s for the good of all cookies anyway. All I ever brought to this world was suffering. Every sweet lie… every bitter truth… only really brought suffering. A lie just delayed it. But the truth showed it when it was most needed. I’m sorry for what I’ve done… I can’t fix it. I wasn’t made for that anyways…” Shadow Milk mumbled, black swimming at the corner of his eyes.
“I guess the show is finally over… and it’s time for the least favorite actor… to step off the stage. About time… I was getting tired of… that guy…” Shadow Milk let his body go limp, whimpering at the pain. He closed his eyes, letting the darkness seep in. He could feel death nearing quickly, and he let himself slip away. No more pain or fear. He could live with that.
He faintly heard the sound of cries, of people screaming. He could distantly see the blurred shapes of those he hurt walking and running towards him, and white robes stained with mud, jam, and black goo. He could feel the whispers of touches on his cold dough, brushing gently against him. The taste of blueberries and sour mold lingered on his tongue like a foul yet soft memory. He could smell the musty air, heavy with smoke and dust, yet mixed with the underlying sweet scent of vanilla mixed with lilies and a tinge of salt and sugar.
He floated there as the rest of his scenes faded. All of them but his smell. The scent of spice tickled his nose, burning slightly, only to be overpowered by the smell of dark chocolate and flour. The smell of cheese and berries wafted, brushing over him like a gentle breeze.
A final smell hit him, overpowering the rest. The smell of ripe, sour blueberries and royal icing with a small hint of whipped cream. He had never known what he had personally smelled like, but now that he knew, he couldn’t help but smile. It was slightly dizzying. But he liked that.
The smells faded, and Shadow Milk fell into full sensory deprivation, drifting. It was calm, peaceful even. He didn’t feel bored or anything. He was relaxed. It was nice. And he liked that. He could rest.
He could finally rest. He could finally-
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m afraid not.”
Shadow Milk jolted, his eyes snapping open. He looked around him to see a completely black void, with a figure seemingly standing a bit ways away from him. He turned, staring at the figure he knew well and had grown to despise.
“How…?” Shadow Milk whispered, staring at the Fount of Knowledge.
“You know who I am. I have not come here to send you to permanently sleep though. I have come to wake you up. You are needed, Shadow Milk Cookie. Wake, and see the world. You have now seen me, and as a result, my power. I give you my blessing, for your scenes be strengthened, and your heart be filled.”
“Rise. They are waiting for you.”
Shadow Milk could feel the power of Deaths blessing surge through him before he was suddenly thrown upwards, the force of the movement forcing him to curl up into a ball. He squinted to see a light rapidly approaching, or rather him rapidly approaching said light.
Shadow Milk screamed as his body hit the light, sucking him in. Everything turned into a mass of colors, spinning and swirling, overwhelming him. Shadow Milk was abruptly thrown out of the rainbow spiral and right back into his body.