Chapter Text
Shadow Milk, stronger than ever, is navigating between timelines looking for a great source of MORE power, coming from someone very familiar, someone capable of understanding him, right? Someone... with knowledge more advanced than anything the cookiekind had ever seen before.
He walks through the timelines, fragments of time flashing by in the corners of his eyes. Shadow doesn’t look—he knows exactly what he’s looking for. But life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, right? Because of these interferences, the timelines are growing weaker and weaker; Shadow needs to act faster. . . Or maybe not, he already found what he was looking for, he can feel it. He can feel the hunger for power running through his jam.
*A few hours in the past*
Fount of Knowledge is sitting on his bed, his worn-out expression is almost contagious. Beneath his closed eyes, dark circles are visible. Does Fount of Knowledge ever get any rest? His room is silent and dark, oh how he wishes to be in his room all day instead of answering stupid questions from ordinary cookies.
He sighs, he knows what’s coming.
A portal forms in front of him, but Fount of Knowledge doesn’t open his eyes. An unfamiliar silhouette of a cookie; huge blonde hair, top hat with steampunk goggles on it. She used steps out of the portal.
“Tired, are we?” a cookie says, the portal behind her closing. “We need to have a little chat.”
“What brings you here, Timekeeper Cookie?” Fount of Knowledge opens his eyes slightly, but his gaze is empty, as if he were too tired to focus. “I knew you’d come.”
"Very well," Timekeeper Cookie said with a smile that almost never leaves her face. "I need you to listen to me right now." Fount of Knowledge closes his eyes and nods slightly to sign hes listening.
"You see, I came here to warn you about a future danger that is coming, and hes coming for you." Timekeeper turns around and leans herself on her scissor-shaped 'staff'. "I tried to stop him myself, but he always found a way out and-"
"Don't you have a solution to this problem? You're just playing around a little longer for your own entertainment, am I right?" Fount of Knowledge stands up, holding his staff firmly.
She hums.
"You see, because of... Your future self... The timelines have been getting way weaker, one wrong move and everything will go wrong. So I must be careful." Timekeeper cookies turns again to look at Fount of Knowledge. Hes looking at Timekeeper cookie, in silence.
"I need you to listen, I don't have much time, so I'm counting on you." She stops for a few seconds before starting to talk again. "You can't listen to him, or what he has to offer, or everything will end.. Very badly... Trust me, no one would know better."
"I see. So you're asking me not to trust myself... I'm sorry, but putting it that way actually sounds kind of comical."
Fount of Knowledge says jokingly, but doesn't laugh.
“Your future self isn't the only problem out there, there are other cookies helping him, and I need to deal with them,” she says. “The only one who can stop him... is you.”
Neither of them says a word, they know they’ve understood each other, so Timekeeper Cookie opens a portal... it’s her farewell.
“See you later, or maybe in another timeline.” she chuckles low, just as the portal closes.
Fount of Knowledge stares at nothing, hes alone, again. The room is dark, and the only light source is from his light orb that floats around him, and a lamp on his bookshelf.
He is waiting.
*In the present*
Shadow Milk Cookie stops in front of a timeline rift, he smiles slightly. "Well, WELL. What do we have here, hm?" He smiles with his eyes, followed by a small chuckle. "VERY WELL!"
He moves toward the crack in the timeline in front of him, driving his claws into it. Since the timelines are weakened, it was easy to tear them apart, though small sparks of energy were sent toward space. Despite all this, Shadow Milk Cookie made only a small opening, just enough for him to squeeze through. On the other side of the opening was Fount of Knowledge's room, he was in silence, sitting on his bed.
Shadow Milk Cookie passes completely through the rift, and it closes almost immediately, followed by sparks.
“Ah, hi, hello, hey there. If it isn't our great... Fount of Knowledge, am I right?” Shadow says, but doesn't give him time to answer, so he continues: “ALL right, I came here to offer something to you, but we can't waste any time, so I'll get straight to the point!”
Fount of Knowledge looks at him with a tired expression, is THAT who Timekeeper Cookie was talking about? "I am not-" Fount of Knowledge tries to find the right words, but he’s distracted by the strange blue cookie standing in front of him. 'THIS can’t be me, right?'- He thinks.
"I-" *coughs* "I am not helping you, or teaming up with you agaisnt any cookie." Fount of Knowledge stands up to look at the other cookie closer "And I suggest that you leave. I fear you will not get what you're looking for here."
Shadow Milk Cookie twitches his eye, in disbelief of what the other has just said to him.
"Oh!! AHAHAA, I didn't know I was THIS funny before" he laughs sarcastically. "Oh my pal, my friend, oh no, no.. I wasnt going to ASK YOU, yes.. You see, my offer is very good, AND non-negotiable, so you have no choice other than listen to me and do as I say. Understood?" He smiles at Fount of Knowledge.
Fount of Knowledge knows what he would be getting himself into if he confronted him, so he chooses to hear out his proposal and deal with it later.
"Very well, I will listen to you, but let me make one thing clear; I am not looking for a fight. I know why you came here, and I am not willing to help you if it means harming other Cookies."
Shadow Milk Cookie narrows his eyes and flashes an even wider grin. "BOOOORING..." He closes his eyes and steps closer to Fount of Knowledge. "Did I really care about all that nonsense? But FINE...!"
He stops only a few feet away from the other.
"Aren't you tired? HM? Of this life? All you do is hand out knowledge to other Cookies... Ah, right! And what do they ask? Nothing but silly, idiotic questions. Poor things..." He chuckles. "They fail to see that the very source of all knowledge in Earthbread stands right before them, and yet they insist on asking things like..." He open his eyes. " 'What will tomorrow's weather be, oh almighty Fount of Knowledge?!'... PFFT!!!"
Fount of Knowledge's eyes narrows in discomfort. "I believe they still deserves answers, even if its something 'silly'.
"Hmm, continuing..." Shadow Milk Cookie tilts his head slightly, his grin never fading. "I noticed that you DO know why I came here, don’t you?" He gets a little bit closer to Fount of Knowledge, voice lowering with a passive-aggressive, playful tone."I also need to make one tiny little thing clear here, okay? I don’t want your power for myself... not yet..."
Fount of Knowledge straightens up, staring firm at Shadow Milk Cookie's every movement.
His smile widens. "I want you to join me..." A brief pause. "But..! if you keep acting this stubborn..." his eyes glint, almost amused, "...Hah! Who knows?... But I am pretty sure you don't wanna get hurt, righhttt? Don't worry, just listen to me. I'm sure you'll like it. . ."
Shadow Milk Cookie makes another pause, analyzing Fount of Knowledge's expressions. "I am trying to help you, my dear... To be free... I know thats what you want. Oh PLEASE, just taste a bit of this power, you will change your mind instantly! What do you say?"
Fount of Knowledge looks lost in thought, and then his life flashes before his eyes. He is tired. He no longer wants to have to impart his knowledge to such ungrateful people. "I..."
He stops in front of Shadow Milk Cookie, eye to eye. He have his answer. Will he take the power and corrupt with Shadow Milk Cookie, or don't listen to him?