Chapter Text
“What was it…that I missed…?”
Those were the last words of Dark Enchantress as she fell back, her body crumbling away and Life Powder accumulating beneath where the grand figure of her Witch form once stood.
Upon her death, the red hue of the sky immediately turned into the gentle tone of blue and the blissful, golden rays of true sunlight, that hadn’t been felt in a long time, illuminated the battlefield.
And more importantly, the Cookie stood before them.
Murmurs rippled around the war ground but no one was really paying attention to them as White Lily Cookie turned around and spoke to…the being that she had brought to help fight Dark Enchantress.
“Spirits who have suffered at the hands of the Witches…” She said, her voice gentle and strong yet at the same time, weak and tired as she gently touched the creatures face. “The time has come for you to find Freedom and return to nature.”
And with those words, the being crumbled away, just as Dark Enchantress had, Life Powder accumulating beneath it.
White Lily Cookie gently landed back on the ground of the battlefield.
”And now…” She says, turning to face the cookies. “It is my turn to break free…”
And White Lily Cookie could feel it. She could feel her Life Energy beginning to slip away; her final moments dawning upon her.
Finally, her atonement would be complete.
Until a pair of arms enveloped her.
”What…?” She whispered, her eyes opening.
Gold. So much gold. With the way the sun was shining, it almost blinded her.
And the faint smell of cheese, the familiar feeling of feathery wings.
”White Lily Cookie,” Came Golden Cheese Cookie’s voice, broken between sobs. “Oh, White Lily Cookie…”
On her right, another pair of arms joined the embrace, strong yet reassuring and the smell of sweet berries accompanied them.
”We were so worried…” Came Hollyberry Cookie’s voice, her tone worried, as though she were on the verge of tears.
On her left, another pair of arms, this time gentle and firm despite the strength of the cookie they belonged to, the bitter scent of cacao being carried with them.
”It is good to see you again…” Came Dark Cacao Cookie’s voice and in all her years that she had spent by her friends’ side, White Lily Cookie couldn’t recall a time when she had heard such heartbreakingly tender emotion in his voice.
And finally, the last pair of arms joined the embrace from behind her, gentle and comforting, warm and familiar, the smell of vanilla joining the mix of scents that surrounded White Lily Cookie.
”Well done, White Lily Cookie.” Came Pure Vanilla Cookie’s, gentle and oh-so reassuring voice.
And White Lily Cookie felt the tears well. They didn’t know. They didn’t know that she was going to die and that she would crumble in their arms. They didn’t know that in a few moments, she would end her life as a way to atone for the sins she had committed, whether it be as White Lily Cookie, Dark Enchantress Cookie or the Avatar of Destiny and leave behind her gift of Freedom to Cookiekind.
And so she fell to her knees, tears spilling from her eyes. Maybe if they weren’t all embracing her. Maybe if they hadn’t all rushed forward and told her that they were worried and that they were glad to see her again then maybe she would’ve initiated it. Maybe she would’ve started crumbling right in front of them as they all watched on.
But instead, she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t bring herself to start crumbling whilst she was enveloped in the embrace of her oldest and dearest friends, not a single dry eye amongst them.
But in the end, she had to.
”Everyone…” She said weakly, tears still falling from her face. “Everyone…I must…my atonement…” She tries to explain, her friends only holding her tighter.
”You do not have to…” Pure Vanilla Cookie was the first to speak. “Please, White Lily Cookie, you do not have to…”
”Let us help you, White Lily Cookie...” Hollyberry Cookie was the next to say.
“The Life Powder,” Pure Vanilla Cookie added. “And the Sugar Swan. We can request the Sugar Swan to-“ His voice broke.
More tears were shed.
”Please, just…” Golden Cheese Cookie sobbed. “Please don’t go.” She begged. “I cannot lose another one of my treasures again.”
White Lily Cookie’s eyes widened.
”Treasures…?” She whispered.
Golden Cheese Cookie nods.
”You are all my dearest friends.” She says. “Of all my treasures, you are the most precious amongst them.” She continues, looking at White Lily Cookie and the others. “And I wouldn’t be able to bear it if I lost even one of you.” She says, looking directly at White Lily Cookie. “Even after everything you have done, I am finally ready to forgive you.” She tells her. “And I cannot forgive you if you crumble, White Lily Cookie.” She says, tears streaming down her face.
”So please,” Dark Cacao Cookie says, his desperate tone almost sending White Lily Cookie over the edge. “Please reconsider what you will do.”
”Even after all of the sins I’ve committed,” White Lily Cookie murmurs. “Even after everything I have done…you’re all willing to forgive me?” She whispers. “To welcome me back, as though I have done nothing?” She whispers with disbelief.
The four heads around her nod rather frantically.
”There are other ways that you can atone for your sins, White Lily Cookie.” Pure Vanilla Cookie tells her. “There are other ways that you can find Freedom, other ways that you can spread Freedom to all of Cookiekind.” He says. “And we will gladly help you do it, whatever you need, we shall all be here, just as we always have been.”
”So please, White Lily Cookie…” Pure Vanilla says desperately. “Please, what will you do? We can sense it. We can feel it, you do not have much time left.” He says. “With the Life Powder left behind from Dark Enchantress and that being you brought over here, as well as the help of the Sugar Swan,” He says. “We can make you whole again.”
Whole again…
White Lily Cookie had never thought about that possibility before.
All this time, she’d just focused solely on one thing; sacrificing herself in order to repent for what she had done and leave behind her gift of Freedom to Cookiekind; for she was a Cookie who believed that she had no right to be here after everything that she had done.
And yet, no one seemed to think so.
Golden Cheese Cookie, whose kingdom she had destroyed during the first Dark Flour War and had therefore been the cause of Golden Cheese Cookie isolating herself for years, hiding away in a world where she did not have to bear the tragedy that was her reality.
Hollyberry Cookie, who had been so overcome with guilt due to not being able to protect all who fell during the first Dark Flour War and had therefore abandoned her kingdom, travelling back and forth between Crispia and Beast Yeast, not wanting to face the reality of returning home.
Dark Cacao Cookie, who also couldn’t bear the reality of what he had had to face and he too, isolated himself from his kingdom and subjects and instead put all his focus into defending the Dark Cacao Kingdom.
Pure Vanilla Cookie, who had witnessed his subjects suffer at the hands of war, who had not been able to heal those who had crumbled and had not been able to bid farewell to those who had evacuated, whose castle had been destroyed, only to forget them all years later before Gingerbrave had come along and helped to restore his memories.
And yet, despite everything, all of them were willing to have her return to them. To welcome her back into their lives with open arms and grant her a second chance.
A second chance…
As she sat on the dirt of the battlefield, her friends refusing to let go of her, she thought about what she could do; die, or be granted a second chance at life.
A second chance to be who she once was, to learn from the mistakes that she had made, to help find a way to spread Freedom across all of Earthbread, a chance to pursue her love for research and studying, a chance to spend more time with her dearest friends, perhaps go travelling and adventuring like they did when they were younger.
And most importantly, a chance to live without suffering.
That…that did sound wonderful.
She was scared. She had been so, so incredibly scared, thinking that the only solution would be to die and leave behind everything that she had ever known, all for the sake of a better world. She had planned this out, meticulously planned this out down to the very last detail, thinking that it would be the only way forward for her and trying her very best to not let fear overtake her.
But that…
That didn’t have to be the case anymore.
And so she made her decision, right there and then because there wasn’t much time left to act.
”The…Sugar Swan…” She says to all of her friends.
The other four Ancients all looked at her.
”The…Sugar Swan…” She repeats again. “Send…for the Sugar Swan…”
And she watched as their eyes lit up, relieved smiles crossing their faces.
”SUGAR SWAN!” Pure Vanilla Cookie called out. “O, Sugar Swan, please come and lend us your aid!”
His cries were heard and the Sugar Swan arrived and stood before them.
Her kind eyes opened and the mighty being looked down upon White Lily Cookie.
”You who are the saviour of this world…” Her gentle voice said. “You do not have much time left…”
”I…I know…” White Lily Cookie replies and she felt her friends hold her just a little bit tighter. “But I wish to change that!” She speaks.
”I know.” The Sugar Swan replies. “Your efforts today were remarkable and they shall not be forgotten in vain.”
The Sugar Swan spreads her wings and the Life Powder left behind nearby began to float into the air.
“As the Guardian of Life, it is clear today that your efforts have saved many lives and that a better future for Cookiekind has already been created.” She says, the Life Powder starting to float towards her. “And we, the Guardians of Nature, are forever in your debt. We thank you, for cleansing this land of one of the greatest evils that we have ever seen.”
A light began to shine and a warm feeling started to envelope her.
“For you, O Saviour of Earthbread, I shall break the laws of this world once more!” The Sugar Swan says, her voice strong.
“White Lily Cookie! Hero of Earthbread, Queen of the Faeries and Bringer of Freedom!” The Sugar Swan exclaims. “I return your Life Powder to you and give you a second chance at life! A second chance where your soul can be whole again!” She says, the Life Powder starting to float towards White Lily Cookie. “May you fulfil your dreams and aspirations, for you have so much left to live for, may your completed soul offer you the chances that you have not yet taken!” She exclaims.
White Lily Cookie started to feel it. She felt warmth and happiness, she felt the illumination of the light, she felt the joy of her friends as they watched her soul be restored.
And deep, deep down, she felt it in her soul, coursing through her dough. It was something that she hadn’t felt in a long, long time.
The feeling of being complete.
The feeling of being whole again.
The light faded and the Sugar Swan tucked her wings back neatly into her sides.
”How do you feel?” She asks.
”I…” White Lily Cookie began. “It’s difficult to put it into words…but right now…I’d say that I feel…familiar.” She says. “Like I’ve finally found the missing piece to a puzzle.”
”Well, you are a whole cookie again.” Hollyberry Cookie chuckles.
Everybody laughed.
”Welcome back, White Lily Cookie.” Pure Vanilla Cookie smiles, relief evident in his voice.
And White Lily Cookie tried her best to lean into the embrace of all her dearest friends but it was quite difficult when they were all piled together like this.
”It’s good to be back, Pure Vanilla Cookie.” She says in return.
Her friends smiled and held her all the more tighter.
The war had been won and now, the Five Ancient Heroes were finally, truly, reunited.