Chapter Text
Everyone wants what they could have while trying to avoid the present. Feeling safe and comfortable is a normal need, but safety comes and goes just as quickly.
A skittish cookie was used to just that, so she learned to enjoy the nice moments, while also resisting and living through all of the bad.
But that couldn't last forever, not when the safety starts becoming gradually less present, not when the air is either scalding or freezing cold, not when death comes nearer with each passing day. No, she couldn't bear the thought of being stuck in that constant need of survival, even if her friends were there, they could easily disappear forever, she could easily disappear forever.
So she decided to stop waiting and make it happen herself before any monster could, she decided to escape that endless cycle of fear coming back stronger each time.
It took a lot of planning and magic she didn't have herself. Still, Strawberry Cookie eventually managed to enchant her own VR headset; she had time to think about it, and even with all her doubts, she reached the same conclusion: "I don't want to see them die, I don't want to see me die" So with a deep breath, she put the headset on, both her body and mind traveling somewhere else, a place where she is the one in control.
A year later
Gingerbrave walks around the dragon city, it's bustling with people, and a little laugh can be heard from where a baby dragon plays around happily. Gingerbrave walks past the bar, there are more laughs, and a group of cookies singing cheerfully can be heard inside.
But Gingerbrave's grin is not present despite all of that, he frowns as he hangs another missing poster with a photo of Strawberry Cookie. He stands looking at the last one, it's been a whole year since she was last seen.
"I finished handing them in the Mala tribe, they said they will help" - Wizard Cookie announces as he approaches Gingerbrave, he pauses and awkwardly pats the other boy's arm - "... I know, I miss her too" - he admits with a frown of his own
"You think she's ok? It's been too long, what if she's not... You know" - Gingerbrave lets a long sigh - "I don't understand... Where could she be!? Are we even going to find her!? We have to leave Crispia, she could be anywhere!"
Wizard Cookie grabs Gingerbrave's wrist before he could bolt - "look, I understand completely, but being hasty won't help, she needs us alive"
"Hasty!? It's been a year! And, and this is not working!" - Gingerbrave holds back tears, it's been a while since he last felt this helpless - "I just... I just want to know she's safe..."
"Me too, but... If we're doing this, we have to prepare, anything outside crispia is dangerous and you know it"
Wizard Cookie thinks for a moment, but his concentration gets cut when they see a glitchy portal opening next to them. They lose consciousness shortly after, forgetting those last seconds once they wake up confused.
"Wiz? Are you..." - Gingerbrave exhales in relief when Wizard Cookie stirs awake, then turns his attention to the strange place - "Where are we?"
"Gingerbrave!"
"Huh? Wh- Gingerbright!?" - Gingerbrave quickly runs to tackle her in a hug
Gingerbright laughs and hugs him back even tighter - "you're here too!" - she looks around after saying that - "I don't know what 'here' is though"
"Is there anyone else here?" - Wizard Cookie asks once he's able to stand up
Gingerbright nods - "Skater Cookie came with me, and there's a cute pink cookie"
"Don't call me cute pink cookie!" - Strawberry Crepe Cookie protests from behind, they seem to be exploring - "Ah, Wizard Cookie! It's nice to have someone with... Almost the same intellect as me, come help me research!"
"No"
"Why not!?"
Wizard Cookie glances at Gingerbrave, then whispers to Crepe- "I don't want to leave him alone"
"Ugh, alright" - Strawberry Crepe rolls their eyes - "Feelings before the interesting stuff, sure, why not?"
Wizard Cookie exhales sharply and walks back to Gingerbrave. Gingerbrave's hands are shaking slightly, his gaze darts around as he tries to keep his breath steady. Wizard Cookie notices and hesitates before hitting Gingerbrave's arm.
"Ouch! What was that for?" - Gingerbrave asks, rubbing his arm
"You were spiraling" - Wizard Cookie answers - "Strawberry might be here if you think about it, but even if she's not, there's a lot of cookies already helping look for her"
"Yeah, but..."
"She's strong and you know it, Gingerbrave, she will be fine"
"... You're right" - Gingerbrave takes a deep breath - "Thank you, and... I'm sorry that I'm being like this right now"
"Brave... For the love of the Sugar Swan, I prefer you acting like this, it feels more real" - Wizard Cookie looks away - "And... It makes me feel better about my own feelings, I'm really worried about her too"
"Oh..." - He let out a small smile, then glanced at Wizard Cookie - "Are you okay?"
Wizard Cookie looks at him, and talks after a pause - "Are you okay?"
"Oh, come on! I asked first!"
"Yeah, but you're always the one asking"
They're suddenly interrupted by someone skating at full speed next to them, Wizard Cookie almost trips and falls before Gingerbrave catches him.
"Watch it!" - Wizard Cookie grumbles
"Sorry, man!" - Skater Cookie stops and kneels to grab his skateboard, hold in it under his arm as he approaches them - "yo, Brave!"
"Skater? It's been so long!" - Gingerbrave chuckles and bumps his fist - "Oh, this one here is Wizard Cookie, he's short and grumpy, but we love hi- Ow!" - he's electrocuted by Wizard Cookie's magic
"Rude, and after I helped you calm down" - Wizard Cookie rolls his eyes fondly, unable to hide his amusement behind his offense
"Oh, nice! You're all in the same spot" - a sudden voice says, making everyone turn to where is from
Strawberry Crepe Cookie, who was already analyzing the weird place, is the first one to speak - "who the heck are you?"
A cookie materializes in the air. She has pink hair with green bangs, a strawberry zipper, a pink hood with green stripes, and long pig tails.
She grins at them, unable to contain her excitement.
"Hello friends! My name is Shiningberry Cookie, and this is my digital space!" - She makes a little swirl, shaking her legs, then stops and looks at them with her face on her palms - "Do you like it? I can always change the map if you don't like it"
"Hi, Shiningberry Cookie!" - Gingerbright waves enthusiastically - "it is very nice!"
Wizard Cookie's brow furrows - "So... You made this place, huh?"
"Cool! Can I get a ramp?" - Skater Cookie blurts unbothered, then grins when Shiningberry Cookie opens a command console and types something, making a ramp appear - "Sweet! Thanks, dude! Or... girl-dude? Digital-girl-dude?"
"I have so many questions!!" - Strawberry Crepe Cookie jumps out with bright eyes - "This is sooo cool! You can code anything!? How does it work!?"
Shiningberry chuckles fondly - "almost anything, I still have some limits"
"Can I analyze you? Your dough I mean, you don't look like an artificial intelligence"
"Uh... M-maybe not analysis for now" - Shiningberry avoids eye contact and rubs her arm, hoping Strawberry Crepe Cookie will just drop it
Gingerbrave stays silent, he squints his eyes as he glances at Shiningberry Cookie, something feels off - "... Excuse me, um, Shiningberry Cookie?" - He says and steps forward - "did we... Meet before?"
"Huh, met before? I don't think so, why?" - she answers confidently, but she starts rubbing her arm harder
"You remind me of someone I kn-"
"Oh, reminders! Yeah, I just remembered that I didn't explain the... Fun activities!" - she laughs awkwardly, trying to desperately change the topic - "we can talk later, come on!"
"Ok, that... Wasn't suspicious at all" - Wizard Cookie looks at her with furrowed brows and crossed arms
"What do you mean by fun activities, Shiningberry?" - Gingerbright asks curiously with the usual smile on her face
"I'm glad you asked!"
Strawberry Crepe Cookie blinks twice, then scoffs - "sounds booooriing"
"I promise you, they will be fun! So fun you will never want to leave!" - Shiningberry exclaims - "the outside is terrifying, right? And so dangerous too" - she exaggerates a shiver - "When was the last time you got an opportunity to rest? Well, it doesn't matter! Here not only will you be able to rest, but you will also have a lot of fun!"
"Woah woah woah, is this some kind of weird utopia? No, thank you" - Wizard Cookie says and turns around
Gingerbrave sighs - "usually, I would give it a shot, but we can't stay for long! I have to find my friend, she's been lost for a year!"
Shiningberry Cookie's breath catches, but composes herself - "well... M-maybe your friend wants you to stay! So you can be safe!"
"I don't know... She sure would love this place, but..." - Gingerbrave stops and glances at Shiningberry - "wait, safe? From what?"
"From everything!" - Shiningberry exclaims, raising her arms exaggeratedly - "isn't terrifying out there? Monsters... Evil cookies... Witches..." - if she had fingers, she would be raising them one by one as she counts
"Pfft, that's not terrifying! That's fun!" - Gingerbright says with a wide smile
"Nah, you're just a freak" - Skater gains a punch from Gingerbright when he finishes saying that sentence, but his smirk doesn't fade - "ow, but I'm right!"
Strawberry Crepe laughs at the scene, then thinks - "well... Kinda fun, I wouldn't do it if I could choose though"
"See? That's what I mean! It's scary and dangerous, but here? Here you can rest! And I can do anything for all of you, you're the ones in control here!" - Shiningberry says and looks at them, her gaze ends up landing on Wizard Cookie, knowing he's the hardest to convince
Wizard Cookie notices and stays silent for a moment - "still, we can't stay forever"
"You can! I'll make sure you survive hunger and-"
"No, that's not- ugh" - Wizard Cookie facepalms, then turns to Shiningberry - "look, 'Shiningberry', we have lives out there, you understand? And other cookies too, we can't just... Vanish without them knowing where the fudge are we!"
"Oooh, that's what you're worried about?" - Shiningberry chuckles - "I could try to make the server bigger to see if I can fit all of them"
"No" - Wizard Cookie says bluntly - "We're leaving, so either cooperate or we find a way out ourselves"
"W-wait! P-please don't leave!" - Shiningberry begs with a pleading look, her hands squeezed together - "please... Just... J-just give it a try!"
The cookies exchange a look, then Gingerbrave signals them to group up. They make sure to speak as low as they can.
"I feel bad for her" - Gingerbright says, her usual energy less present - "she looks like she could use some friends..."
"Still, she literally kidnaps us" - Wizard Cookie responds - "if she was doing this to have friends, she would respect our wishes"
"Well, I don't want to leave" - Skater Cookie mentions - "I mean... She does have a point, kinda"
"I feel bad too" - Gingerbrave admits - "But... I'm more worried about Strawb, she's my best friend and... The thought of not knowing where she is or if she's okay terrifies me" - He frowns
"I don't know, it would be interesting to investigate this place further" - Strawberry Crepe Cookie says with a hand on their chin - "but- wait, is Strawberry Cookie missing?"
"I'm sure she's fine!" - Gingerbright chuckles nervously
"Let's... Give it a try, maybe Shiningberry Cookie can help us find Strawberry" - Gingerbrave says with finality, ignoring Wizard Cookie's scowl as he turns around - "we'll play one game, but after this... Could you help us with something important?"
"Of course!" - Shiningberry says with a grin and types some commands and teleports everyone to an already prepared map, it's almost empty except for some decorations and a few floating platforms - "here, parkour! If you fall, you will just reappear at the start, so don't worry"
"Can I just use my magic to levitate to the other side?" - Wizard Cookie asks bluntly
"Well, I won't stop you, but-" - She's interrupted by Wizard Cookie instantly levitating to the end, she sighs- "... No matter, I hope the rest of you have fun! I decided to start with something easy" - She floats to the side and looks at them with a grin, excited to see how they do
Gingerbrave looks at the platforms and takes a deep breath - "This is for you, Strawberry..." - He walks to them and starts jumping from one to the next, trying to stay focused even with the heavy worry inside his heart
The rest of the group follows him. Skater Cookie and Gingerbright did it on their first try, Strawberry Crepe Cookie fell a bunch of times but eventually managed to reach the end. Gingerbrave made it last, his mind still not letting him breathe.
Wizard Cookie pokes Gingerbrave's arm - "Hey, are you-?"
"Congratulations, everybody!" - Shiningberry Cookie exclaims while clapping, she makes confetti appear above them - "Bravo! Really good for a first time, right? Don't worry if you didn't like it, I'll give you a grand variety to experience and...!"
Wizard Cookie clears his throat - "I recall we had an agreement, Gingerbrave?" - he steps back, coaxing Gingerbrave to speak
"Yeah, uh... This was nice and all, but..." - Gingerbrave looks at her with a serious expression - "Could you help us find our friend Strawberry Cookie? We really miss her... I know I do..."
Shiningberry stays quiet for a moment, she frowns and glances down, fidgeting. After a pause, she speaks - "I'll find her, but only if you stay here, safe"
The group exchanges glances once again, then everyone looks at Gingerbrave, who nods hesitantly - "we'll stay, but only if you keep that promise"
"I will do my best" - Shiningberry smiles reassuringly - "ok, enough of sad faces! Let's go to the lobby! Someone has to help me decorate"
"Are you sure about this?" - Wizard Cookie whispers to Gingerbrave
"I'm not sure of anything anymore, Wiz" - Gingerbrave sighs and starts walking to catch up with the others, Wizard Cookie is still concerned, but he decides not to push, he follows closely